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IF  CHRISTIAN  MI. 


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'G/CAL  saw 


BV  2060  .M8  1910 
Mott,  John  Raleigh,  1865 
The  decisive  hour  of 
Christian  missions 


FORWARD    MISSION   STUDY   COURSES 

EDITED    UNDER   THE   DIRECTION    OF 

THE   YOUNG   PEOPLE'S    MISSIONARY   MOVEMENT 

OF   THE    UNITED    STATES   AND   CANADA 


THE    DECISIVE    HOUR   OF 
CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS 


N.  B.  —  Special  helps  and  denominational  mission  study  literature 
for  this  course  can  be  obtained  by  corresponding  with  the  Secretary 
of  your  mission  board  or  society. 


THE    DECISIVE   HOUR 

OF 

CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS 


)V  30  1910      *i 


JOHN    R.   MOTT         Vv>.,  *-^~<~ -  kAv 


EDUCATIONAL    DEPARTMENT 

BOARD    OF    FOREIGN    MISSIONS    OF    THE 

PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH   IN  THE  U.  S.  A. 

156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City 

1910 


Copyright,  1910,  by 

STUDENT  VOLUNTEER  MOVEMENT 

FOR  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

Preface ix 

I    The  Non-Christian  Nations  Plastic  and  Chang- 
ing          3 

II    Critical  Tendencies  and  Influences  in  the  Non- 
Christian  World 39 

III  The  Rising  Spiritual  Tide  in  the  Non-Christian 

World 69 

IV  The  Requirements  of  the  Present  Situation  :  an 

Adequate  Plan 99 

V    The  Requirements  of  the  Present  Situation  :  an 

Adequate  Home  Base 127 

VI    The  Requirements  of  the  Present  Situation:  an 

Efficient  Church  on  the  Mission  Field      .     165 

VII    The    Requirements    of  the  Present   Situation: 

the  Superhuman  Factor 193 

VIII    Possibilities  of  the  Present  Situation         .       .     221 

Questions 243 

Index 259 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

World  Missionary  Conference,  United  Free  Church 
Assembly  Hall,  Edinburgh      .      .       Frontispiece 

FACING 
PAGE 

Railway  Penetrating  the  Old  Wall  of  Peking       .  8 

The  First  Turkish  Parliament 20 

A  Chinese  Colliery  Center — 1000  Miles  from  the 

Sea -26 

Buildings  of  the  University  of  Calcutta    ...  46 

A  Hindu  Festival  on  the  Ganges 54 

Ancient  Examination    Halls,  Nanking  ....  64 

The  Harbor  of  Osaka 72 

Birthplace    of    the     Student     Volunteer    Movement, 

Mount  Hermon,   Mass 82 

Conference    of    the    Chinese    Students'    Christian 

Association,  Hartford,  Conn 108 

A  Young  People's  Missionary  Movement  Conference 

at  Silver  Bay,  N.  Y 130 

Dinner  of  the  Laymen's  Missionary  Movement  in 

New  York 144 

Honorable  T.  H.  Yun  of  Korea;  Rajah  Sir  Harnam 

Singh  of  India 176 

Bishop  Honda  of  Japan;  Pandita  Ramabai  of  India    .  182 

The  Madras  Christian  College 188 

Chinese  Wheelbarrow  and  Its  Rival    ....  222 

Map:   Commercial  Expansion        ....       End  of  Book 


PREFACE 

The  World  Missionary  Conference  held  in  Edinburgh 
in  June  of  the  present  year  constituted  in  its  plan,  in 
its  personnel,  in  the  spirit  which  characterized  it,  and 
in  its  promise,  the  most  significant  gathering  ever  held 
in  the  interest  of  the  world's  evangelization.  In 
preparation  for  the  Conference  eight  representative 
international  Commissions  had  been  at  work  for  over 
eighteen  months  making  a  scientific  investigation  and 
study  of  some  of  the  most  pressing  and  vital  problems 
of  Christian  missions.  Associated  with  these  Commis- 
sions as  correspondents  were  the  principal  missionaries 
and  leaders  of  the  Church  on  the  mission  fields,  as 
well  as  many  of  the  foremost  thinkers  and  workers 
of  the  missionary  forces  at  home.  The  reports  re- 
sulting from  these  special  investigations  have  afforded 
a  very  comprehensive  presentation  of  the  facts  about 
the  main  aspects  of  the  missionary  situation.  Those 
who  have  had  opportunity  to  examine  the  mass  of 
evidence  gathered  by  the  Commissions  and  to  listen  to 
the  discussions  of  the  reports  at  the  Edinburgh  Con- 
ference must  have  been  impressed  with  the  fact  that 
the  present  is  the  decisive  hour  of  Christian  missions. 
In  the  history  of  Christianity  there  has  never  been 
such  a  remarkable  conjunction  of  opportunities  and 
crises  on  all  the  principal  mission  fields  and  of  favor- 
ing circumstances  and  possibilities  on  the  home  field. 
The  central  idea  of  this  book  has  been  suggested  by 


X  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

the  studies  in  connection  with  Commission  I  on  "  Car- 
rying the  Gospel  to  all  the  Non-Christian  World  "  of 
which  the  author  was  chairman.  He  has  made  large 
use  of  the  results  of  the  investigations  of  the  Commis- 
sion, and  has  introduced  without  quotation  certain 
parts  of  the  report  written  by  himself.  He  has  also 
profited  by  the  investigations  made  by  the  other  Com- 
missions and  by  the  debates  of  the  Conference  itself. 
The  book  is  based,  therefore,  almost  entirely  upon  the 
information  furnished  recently  by  trusted  correspond- 
ents, representing  every  part  of  the  world  under  re- 
view, and  not,  save  in  rare  cases,  upon  material  access- 
ible in  print.  Reports  of  the  eight  Commissions  are 
soon  to  be  printed  and  readers  who  wish  to  follow 
further  the  subjects  under  consideration  are  referred 
to  these  volumes.  As  they  have  not  yet  appeared,  the 
plan  of  giving  references  to  them  in  foot-notes  has  had 
to  be  abandoned.  Nearly  all  of  the  quotations  in  dif- 
ferent chapters  are  from  correspondence  preserved  in 
the  archives  of  the  World  Missionary  Conference. 

The  author  wishes  to  acknowledge  his  deep  indebt- 
edness to  the  members  and  correspondents  of  Commis- 
sion I.  He  has  been  greatly  helped  by  the  generous 
and  efficient  co-operation  of  the  Editorial  Committee 
of  the  United  Council  for  Mission  Study  of  Great 
Britain,  as  well  as  by  that  of  Dr.  T.  H.  P.  Sailer,  a 
recognized  authority  on  mission  study.  He  is  under 
particular  obligation  to  Mr.  Hans  P.  Andersen  for 
his  wise  and  constant  help. 

John  R.  Mott 

Edinburgh,  June  29,  1910 


THE    NON-CHRISTIAN    NATIONS 
PLASTIC    AND    CHANGING 


THE   DECISIVE   HOUR   OF 
CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS 

CHAPTER   I 

THE  NON-CHRISTIAN    NATIONS  PLASTIC   AND 
CHANGING 

Throughout  the  non-Christian  world  there  are  un-  A  Stupendous 
mistakable  signs  of  the  awakening  of  great  peoples  Awakening 
from  their  long  sleep.  Through  the  whole  of  Asia  a 
ferment  is  in  process,  which  has  spread  from  the  intel- 
lectual leaders,  and  is  fast  taking  possession  of  the 
masses.  It  affects  over  three-fourths  of  the  human 
race,  including  peoples  of  high  intelligence  and  ancient 
civilization.  The  leaders  are  concerned  with  the  ques- 
tions of  enlightenment,  of  intellectual  and  social  free- 
dom, of  economic  development,  and  of  national  effi- 
ciency. In  all  history  there  has  not  been  a  period  when 
such  vast  multitudes  of  people  were  in  the  midst  of 
such  stupendous  changes,  economic,  social,  educa- 
tional, and  religious.  Among  innumerable  multitudes 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  non-Christian  world  the  forces 
of  youth  and  age,  of  radicalism  and  conservatism,  of 
growth  and  decay,  are  seething  and  struggling  for  the 
mastery.     As  we  survey  the  unparalleled  situation  in 

3 


4  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF   MISSIONS 

these  lands,  the  question  is  forced  upon  us,  What  is 
to  be  the  issue  of  it  all? 

It  is  difficult  to  believe  that  two  generations  ago 
Japan  was  even  more  completely  closed  to  Western  in- 
fluence than  was  China.  She  was  then  under  a  feudal 
form  of  government,  divided  into  clans ;  those  of  the 
warrior  clan,  the  Samurai,  were  intensely  devoted  to 
their  lords  and  jealous  of  the  other  clans.  The  rights 
of  the  common  people  were  greatly  restricted.  One 
policy  was  rigidly  enforced — exclusion  of  the  for- 
eigner and  of  foreign  customs.  No  Japanese  was  per- 
mitted to  leave  the  country,  and  any  who  escaped 
were  not  permitted  to  return.  Not  until  1868  did  a 
revolution  make  the  Emperor  actual  as  well  as 
nominal  head  of  the  nation.  In  1871  the  feudal  lords 
voluntarily  surrendered  their  rule,  and,  at  the  advice 
of  a  missionary,  an  embassy  was  sent  to  Western 
lands  to  observe  and  report.  This  tour  led  to  the 
systematic  appropriation  of  Western  ideas,  culminat- 
ing in  a  constitutional  government  proclaimed  in 
1889.  Since  then  Japan  has  proved  herself,  in  some 
respects,  the  most  brilliant  nation  in  the  world.  She 
has  achieved  greater  progress  in  one  generation  than 
any  other  country  has  achieved  in  two,  if  not  in  three 
generations.  She  has  gone  to  school  to  the  whole 
world  and  has  learned  her  lessons  with  remarkable 
facility.  Seldom  does  the  traveler  find  himself  upon 
an  ocean  steamer  that  he  does  not  discover  among 
his  fellow-passengers  one  or  more  Japanese — not 
going  about  the  world  in  search  of  pleasure,  but 
journeying  with  serious  intent  to  study  some  insti- 


NON-CHRISTIAN   NATIONS   CHANGING  5 

tution,  some  movement,  some  process,  some  experience 
of  another  nation  or  people,  determined  to  make  this 
larger  knowledge  tributary  to  the  expanding  great- 
ness of  their  own  country.  Open-mindedness  is 
their  characteristic  as  a  people.  Some  have  feared 
that  their  recent  victories  would  make  them  proud, 
but  those  who  have  been  in  touch  with  Japan  have 
received  an  opposite  impression.  They  have  found 
that  the  Japanese  have  rather  been  humbled  and 
solemnized  by  their  victories,  and  have  come  to  have 
an  increased  sense  of  responsibility.  Possibly  never 
has  Japan  manifested  greater  eagerness  to  learn  from 
other  nations  and  to  increase  her  efficiency  than 
during  the  period  which  has  elapsed  since  the 
Russian  war.  The  view  entertained  in  some  quarters 
that  Japan  has  at  last  become  fixed  is  incorrect. 
She  has  not  ceased  to  go  to  school.  Her  time  of 
transition  has  not  wholly  passed  and  profound 
changes  are  still  taking  place,  if  not  so  rapidly  as 
before. 

The  fact  must  not  be  lost  sight  of  that  influences  Leader  of  the 
from  Japan  extend  over  the  whole  Orient.  The  lead-  Orient 
ers  of  the  Japanese  Christian  Student  Movement  em- 
phasized this  fact  in  a  cable  message  which  they  sent 
to  the  Student  Volunteer  Convention  in  Nashville,  in 
1906,  ''Japan  is  leading  the  Orient,  but  whither?" 
Even  more  aptly  do  these  words  express  the  position 
of  Japan  to-day  than  at  the  time  when  the  message 
was  sent.  The  most  casual  traveler  sees  how  Japan  is 
becoming  an  increasing  factor  in  the  commercial  and 
industrial  developments  of  the  Far  East,  and  the  great 


6  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

steamship  agencies  of  America,  Britain,  and  Germany 
feel  the  pressure  of  this  fact  increasingly.  Japan  is 
profoundly  influencing  the  economic  changes,  not  only 
of  Korea  but  also  of  China.  Her  voice  has  become  the 
most  influential  in  the  political  councils  of  the  Far 
East.  To  a  far  greater  extent  than  most  people  realize 
she  has  taken  the  leading  position  in  the  promotion  of 
the  educational  movement  on  the  mainland  of  Asia. 
True  it  is  that  Japan  is  leading  the  Orient.  The  East- 
ern nations  are  following  Japan,  as  Japan  is  following 
the  West,  and  what  Japan  has  succeeded  in  doing  to- 
day the  others  will  do  to-morrow.  The  advance  of 
Japan  is  a  prophecy  of  what  will  follow  throughout 
the  nations  of  the  East. 
Changes  Korea  was  known  yesterday  as  "  The  Land  of  the 

In  Korea  Morning  Calm."     Not  till   1883   was   the  first  treaty 

made  with  a  Western  nation  and  the  first  foreigner 
permitted  to  live  in  the  land.  Even  up  to  1907,  at 
which  time  Japan  assumed  practically  complete  con- 
trol, the  Government  was  most  unprogressive.  To- 
day Korea  is  vibrating  with  the  spirit  of  the  modern 
world,  and  the  age-long  isolation  of  the  hermit  nation 
has  ceased.  Where  are  ten  millions  of  people  to  be 
found  upon  whom  the  currents  of  modern  civilization 
have  been  turned  more  abruptly,  and  with  greater 
directness  and  power,  than  upon  the  Korean  people 
during  the  last  five  years?  A  railway  has  been 
stretched  across  the  whole  length  of  the  peninsula. 
The  material  resources  of  the  country  are  being 
rapidly  developed,  the  Government  having  within 
recent  years  granted  nearly  two  hundred  mining  con- 


NON-CHRISTIAN  NATIONS   CHANGING  7 

cessions.  Other  new  and  profitable  industries  are 
being  introduced.  The  educational  system  has  been 
reformed  along  modern  lines,  and  the  people  are  so 
fully  awake  to  the  value  and  necessity  of  Western 
knowledge  and  education  that  they  will  take  what- 
ever literature  or  teacher  will  help  to  meet  this  de- 
mand. A  new  literature  is  being  evolved  under  the 
influence  of  the  Christian  Church.  A  new  and  highly 
efficient  financial  system  has  been  introduced. 
Countless  other  economic  and  political  changes  have 
been  effected.  Far-reaching  social  changes,  such  as 
the  raising  of  the  age  for  marriage  and  the  gradual 
doing  away  with  the  custom  of  concubinage,  are  tak- 
ing place.  Torture  has  been  eliminated  from  the 
penal  code.  In  fact,  every  department  of  the  life  of 
the  country  is  being  reorganized.  Their  present 
political  condition,  which  is  very  bitter  to  them, 
has  served  to  arouse  the  Koreans  from  their  self- 
satisfied  lethargy.  The  old  ways  will  no  longer  do, 
and  they  know  it.  Their  eyes  have  been  opened  to 
what  the  West  has  to  teach  them,  and  they  are  absorb- 
ing new  methods  with  great  rapidity. 

For  four  thousand  years  China  has  been  the  same  Recent  Years 
unchanging  empire,  entirely  self-centered  and  self-  "*  China 
satisfied,  with  a  profound  contempt  for  everything 
foreign.  Yet  to-day  she  too  has  turned  her  face 
from  the  past  and  begun  to  learn  from  other  nations. 
The  changeless  is  giving  way  to  the  changing,  and 
the  changes  are  bewildering  in  their  number  and 
variety.  She  has  made  a  more  radical  adjustment  to 
modern  conditions  within  the  last  five  years  than  has 


8  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

any  other  nation,  not  excepting  Korea.  Those  who 
have  studied  the  great  changes  that  came  over  Japan 
will  remember  that  she  made  no  such  advance  in  the 
first  ten  years  after  she  began  to  adopt  Western  civ- 
ilization as  China  has  made  during  the  last  five  years. 
Sir  Robert  Hart,  the  eminent  civilian  and  sagacious 
observer  of  things  Chinese,  in  commenting  on  the  re- 
cent changes  in  China,  said  that  during  the  first  forty- 
five  years  of  his  residence  in  China  the  country  was 
like  a  closed  room,  without  a  breath  of  fresh  air  from 
the  outside  world,  but  that  the  last  five  years  reminded 
him  of  being  in  a  room  with  all  the  windows  and  doors 
wide  open  and  the  breezes  of  heaven  sweeping  through. 
Dr.  Griffith  John,  one  of  China's  greatest  missionaries, 
on  starting  back  from  his  last  furlough,  in  speaking 
to  a  group  of  Christian  workers  in  America,  said  that 
if  the  recent  changes  which  had  taken  place  in  China 
had  been  attended  with  the  bloodshed  which  character- 
ized the  late  Russian  revolution,  the  eyes  of  the  civi- 
lized world  would  be  fixed  upon  China,  and  nothing 
would  hold  back  the  Christian  nations  from  going  to 
her  relief.  President  Lowry  of  the  Peking  University 
insists  that  the  change  which  has  come  over  China 
within  the  last  decade  has  been  so  great  that  it  is 
"  almost  impossible  to  describe  the  contrast  with  the 
past  without  seeming  extravagance  of  language."  He 
regards  it  as  "  one  of  the  most  sweeping  and  radical 
revolutions  ever  effected  in  any  great  nation  in  the 
history  of  the  world." 
Improve-  Only   twenty   years   ago   the   telegraph   system   of 

ments  China  was  confined  to  a  few  wires  binding  together 


NON-CHRISTIAN  NATIONS  CHANGING  9 

the  port  cities ;  now  a  network  of  26,000  miles  of  tele- 
graph lines,  connecting  with  490  telegraph  offices,  is 
spread  over  the  empire.  For  thousands  of  years,  rivers 
and  canals  were  the  principal  channels  of  communica- 
tion in  this  country,  but  in  recent  years  the  railway  has 
come  in  as  the  great  rival.  In  1895  there  were  but  200 
miles  of  railway  in  China;  now  there  are  4170  miles  in 
operation  and  9000  miles  more  projected.*  The 
journey  can  now  be  made  in  a  train  de  luxe  from  Pe- 
king to  Hankow  in  the  heart  of  China  in  thirty-six 
hours,  whereas  six  years  ago  it  would  have  required 
fully  forty  days  by  Chinese  carts.  Steamer  lines  cover 
a  distance  of  8000  miles.  The  Yangtse  from  Hankow 
to  Shanghai  sustains  a  greater  traffic  than  any  other 
river  in  the  world  for  an  equal  distance.  All  the  great 
port  cities  of  China  and  some  of  those  along  the  in- 
land rivers  are  being  rapidly  modernized,  and  remind 
one  of  the  crowded  commercial  ports  of  the  West. 
Great  modern  industrial  plants  are  being  rapidly  estab- 
lished in  and  near  the  large  interior  cities,  as  well  as  at 
the  ports.  In  Hankow  alone  not  less  than  25,000  men 
are  employed  in  such  establishments.  Shanghai,  which 
a  generation  ago  was  comparatively  but  a  river  village, 
to-day  has  a  tonnage  in  its  harbor  next  to  that  of 
Liverpool.  Only  a  few  years  ago  there  were  no  mod- 
ern post-offices ;  now  they  are  to  be  found  in  3500 
towns  and  cities,  and  the  number  is  increasing  day  by 
day.  In  many  cities  the  rushlight  has  been  superseded 
by  the  electric  light.  The  fear  of  "  boring  into  the 
pulse  of  the  dragon"  is  being  lost  by  those  who  are 

*  See  map  at  the  end  of  this  volume. 


10  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

anxious    to     exploit    the     mineral    wealth     of    the 
country. 
Growth  of  the       Twelve  years  ago  there  was  only  one  daily  paper  in 
Press  Peking,  the  ancient  Peking  Gazette,  devoted  chiefly  to 

publishing  the  edicts  of  the  Imperial  Government. 
Now,  there  are  said  to  be  ten  dailies  there.  In  the 
other  cities  throughout  China,  hundreds  of  modern 
periodicals  have  been  established,  all  of  which  devote 
a  large  section  of  their  space  to  reporting  news  from  all 
parts  of  the  world.  The  printing-presses,  both  those 
under  secular,  and  those  under  missionary  auspices, 
are  not  able  to  keep  pace  with  the  demand  made  upon 
them  for  the  bringing  out  of  new  works  and  of  trans- 
lations of  the  books  of  important  authors  of  Western 
nations. 
Political  Political  changes  of   far-reaching  importance  have 

Advance  been  effected.     Constitutional  government  has  recently 

been  promised  by  Imperial  edict.  October  14,  1909, 
will  henceforth  be  a  historic  date  in  China,  because  on 
that  day  provincial  assemblies  were  opened  in  the  capi- 
tals of  all  the  provinces.  This  is  a  significant  step  in 
the  ten-years'  programme  which  is  to  culminate  in  the 
actual  establishment  of  modern  parliamentary  consti- 
tutional government  for  the  Chinese  Empire.  The 
work  of  these  new  assemblies  during  the  intervening 
years  is  to  serve  as  a  means  of  preparing  the  people  for 
the  new  political  responsibilities  involved.  Those  who 
have  had  opportunity  to  study  these  assemblies  bear 
testimony  that,  even  in  their  first  year,  in  the  strength 
of  their  personnel,  in  the  wisdom  with  which  they  have 
dealt  with  the  subjects  before  them,  in  the  dignity  with 


NON-CHRISTIAN  NATIONS   CHANGING  n 

which  the  discussions  have  been  conducted,  in  the  order 
and  practical  efficiency  with  which  they  carry  on 
business,  these  bodies  impress  them  quite  as  favorably 
as  do  the  political  assemblies  of  some  of  the  Western 
nations,  both  in  Europe  and  in  North  and  South 
America.  Already  the  work  of  these  assemblies  in 
some  of  the  provinces  has  passed  beyond  the  realm  of 
academic  discussion  into  that  of  evolving  practical 
measures  concerning  both  the  immediate  and  the  future 
welfare  of  the  country.  In  October  of  the  present  year 
(1910)  the  Imperial  Senate  will  hold  its  first  meeting. 

Without  doubt  the  best  illustration  of  the  social  and   Anti-opium 
moral  progress  of  the  New  China  is  the  anti-opium   Movement 
crusade.     The  Imperial  Government  in  1907  decided 
that  the  opium  evil  must  be  extirpated  from  China.    It . 
was  agreed  that  this  must  be  accomplished  within  ten 
years.    The  official  regulations,  which  are  understood . 
to  have  been  prepared  by  Tang  Shao  Yi,  one  of  the 
Imperial  Commissioners  on  Opium  Suppression,  are  so 
masterly  in  their  scope,  as  well  as  in  their  practical 
details,  that  they  are  worthy  of  study  by  the  statesmen 
and  reformers  of  other  lands.     The  Government  pro- 
hibited the  use  of  opium  by  all  officials  except  those  of 
very  advanced  age.    In  a  wonderful  way  persons  high 
in  political  and  social  circles  in  all  parts  of  China  have 
thrown  themselves  into  the  movement.    It  is  said  that 
some  of  the  princes  and  officials  have  died  as  a  result 
of  their  most  zealous  and  serious  struggles  to  break 
the  opium  habit.    All  over  China  popular  societies  have 
been  formed  for  the  purpose  of  waging  the  anti-opium 
propaganda.     Great  mass-meetings  have  been  held  in 


12  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

the  principal  cities  and  in  many  towns.  The  assem- 
bling and  burning  of  opium-smoking  outfits  is  no  un- 
common occurrence.  In  some  provinces  such  vigorous 
measures  have  been  taken  that  apparently  the  period 
of  ten  years  will  not  be  required  to  suppress  the  traffic. 
In  the  Province  of  Shansi,  for  example,  the  raising  of 
the  poppy  is  absolutely  prohibited.  Travelers  in  the 
Province  of  Szechwan  have  recently  reported  that  they 
saw  no  signs  of  the  poppy  there  and  that  the  opium 
dens  were  closed.  Lord  William  Cecil  testifies  that, 
whereas  when  he  was  in  China  in  1907,  he  found  the 
country  between  Hankow  and  Harbin  "  beautiful  with 
white  and  pink  crops  of  poppy,"  in  1909  he  did  not  see 
a  single  poppy  flower  while  traversing  the  same  coun- 
try. Few  in  the  West  realize  what  a  vast  and  revolu- 
tionary change  this  abolition  of  the  opium  traffic  is. 
It  involves  the  reorganization  of  the  entire  fiscal  sys- 
tem, but  the  Government  has  gone  forward  regardless 
of  financial  considerations.  The  Chinese  themselves 
have  been,  and  are,  the  leaders  in  this  movement,  and 
it  is  significant  that  one  of  the  most  effective  advocates 
of  the  suppression  of  opium,  at  the  meetings  of  the 
International  Opium  Commission  recently  held  in 
Shanghai,  was  Tong  Kaison,  a  Chinese  Christian. 
When  one  considers  the  number  of  people  involved,  the 
strength  of  the  habit  combated,  and  the  results  already 
attained,  this  anti-opium  crusade  is  one  of  the  greatest 
moral  movements  of  modern  times.  It  is  being  con- 
ducted with  an  aggressiveness  and  with  a  degree  of 
success  which  puts  to  shame  the  progress  of  temper- 
ance and  certain  other  moral  movements  in  Western 


NON-CHRISTIAN  NATIONS  CHANGING 


13 


Abroad 


lands.  Changes  like  these  seem  almost  incredible  when 
one  reflects  on  the  constitution  of  the  Chinese  mind 
and  its  unchanging  attitude  throughout  the  centuries. 

China's  awakening  is  not  only  in  industrial  enter-  Chinese 
prise,  political  reform,  and  social  progress;  unques-  Studying 
tionably  the  greatest  changes  in  China  are  those  per- 
taining to  education,  and  out  of  this  a  new  spirit  in 
the  Chinese  people  is  resulting.  Literally  thousands 
of  Chinese  students  have  been  sent  abroad  to  study. 
In  1900  there  were  less  than  a  score  of  Chinese  stu- 
dents studying  in  Tokyo.  At  present  there  are  not  less 
than  four  thousand  there,  and  at  one  time,  in  1907, 
the  number  was  as  high  as  fifteen  thousand.  While 
the  number  studying  in  Japan  has  declined,  the  number 
going  to  America  and  Europe  is  steadily  increasing. 
There  are  now  in  the  different  universities  and  schools 
of  the  United  States  not  less  than  six  hundred  Chinese 
students,  and  plans  have  been  perfected  for  sending 
thither  in  the  near  future  a  much  larger  number. 
There  are  also  about  five  hundred  studying  in  Great 
Britain  and  on  the  Continent.  In  the  history  of  edu- 
cation there  has  been  no  such  extensive  migration  of 
students  from  one  country  to  other  lands.  At  the  time 
when  Japan  had  the  largest  number  of  her  youth 
studying  abroad  there  were  only  about  1700  in  America 
and  a  much  smaller  number  in  Europe.  Another  strik- 
ing fact  in  connection  with  the  Chinese  student  migra- 
tion is  that  the  largest  number  who  have  gone  abroad 
to  study  have  come  from  the  most  reactionary 
province — the  Province  of  Hunan,  the  one  which 
longest  resisted  the  introduction  of  the  telegraph. 


14  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

A  New  Even  more  remarkable  than  the  sending  abroad  for 

Educational  study  of  her  own  young  men  and  young  women,  has 
been  the  rapid  transformation  of  the  system  of  edu- 
cation in  China.  In  1905,  by  one  stroke  of  the  ver- 
milion pencil,  the  Empress  Dowager  abolished  com- 
pletely and  forever  the  competitive  examination  sys- 
tem which  had  been  in  operation  for  two  thousand 
years.  The  old  examination  halls  are  already  falling 
into  ruins  or  have  been  torn  down  to  make  way  for 
modern  schools.  The  Imperial  Government  has  issued 
in  five  volumes  a  complete  set  of  regulations  which  in- 
clude a  curriculum  of  studies  based  largely  upon  that 
of  Japan,  which  is  in  turn  based  on  American  and 
European  models.  Within  the  last  five  years  the  Im- 
perial Government  has  not  only  sent  educational  com- 
missions to  Europe  and  America  to  make  a  careful 
study  of  the  educational  systems  of  the  West,  but  has 
also  taken  to  heart  the  results  of  their  investigations. 
An  increasing  number  of  American  and  European  edu- 
cators have  been  invited  by  provincial  and  municipal 
governments,  as  well  as  by  Chinese  gentry,  to  help  to 
establish  modern  institutions  of  learning  in  different 
parts  of  the  country.  A  far  larger  number  of  Japan- 
ese teachers  have  been  secured  for  the  same  purpose. 
It  is  estimated  that  at  one  time  there  were  as  many 
as  one  thousand  Japanese  co-operating  in  the  educa- 
tional reforms  throughout  China.  Modern  schools  and 
colleges  are  springing  up  like  mushrooms  all  over 
China.  In  the  Province  of  Chihli  there  are  already 
scores  of  thousands  of  students  and  scholars  in  these 
modern  institutions.     In  Peking  alone  there  are  200  in- 


NON-CHRISTIAN  NATIONS  CHANGING  15 

stitutions  with  17,000  students.  In  each  of  four  other 
cities  in  China  there  are  already  over  10,000  students 
of  modern  learning.  Scores  of  girls'  schools  have 
sprung  up  in  the  different  parts  of  China,  and  nothing 
in  the  general  awakening  of  the  country  is  more  mo- 
mentous than  this  change  in  the  status  and  education 
of  women. 

Many  schools,  both  for  men  and  for  women,  have   Coming 
insufficient  staffs  of  teachers  and  therefore  are  doing   Millions 
superficial  work.     It  is  a  case  of  the  blind  leading  the   of  Students 
blind.     Many    mistakes    are    being   made    and    much 
money  is  being  wasted,  but  the  significant  fact  is  that 
China  has  determined  to  give  Western  education  to 
her  millions  of  youth.    To  realize  the  meaning  of  the 
educational  revolution,  one  need  only  recall  that  Japan 
now  has  nearly  six  millions  of  youth  in  her  schools 
and  colleges,  and  that  the  same  proportion  will  some 
day  give  China  over  fifty  millions.    The  day  is  coming, 
and  that  very  soon,  when  China  will  have  more  stu- 
dents than  any  other  nation  of  the  world. 

China,  then,  is  in  the  midst  of  an  intellectual  revolu-   Need  of  a 
tion,  but  at  present  her  education  has  a  pronouncedly   Higher 
utilitarian  end.    Her  one  motive  and  desire  is  that  she       °  lve 
may  acquire  the  secret  of  the  industrial,  commercial, 
financial,  military,  and  naval  power  of  the  West.    This 
is  her  deliberate  purpose  and  she  is  succeeding  in  a 
marked  degree.     Is  there  not  something  ominous  in  a 
nation   of  400,000,000   people   moving   forward   into 
modern  civilization  with  no  higher  motive  than  this  ? 

Siam  is  in  a  condition  of  metamorphosis.    Under  the   Outlook 
enlightened  rule  of  King  Chulalongkorn  I,  she  has   "*  Siam 


1 6  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

been  open  to  Western  culture  in  a  remarkable  manner. 
Wonderful  progress  has  been  made  in  all  branches  of 
administration;  even  compulsory  education  has  been 
introduced,  the  government  system  of  schools  being 
in  the  most  promising  condition.  Recent  economic, 
social,  and  educational  changes  throughout  the  Philip- 
pine Islands  as  well  as  in  British  Malaya  and  the  Dutch 
East  Indies  are  striking  examples  of  modern  progress 
in  the  midst  of  exceedingly  difficult  conditions. 

Persia  also  is  sharing  in  the  general  awakening  of 
the  East  and  is  undergoing  a  transformation.  The 
movement  there  seeks  primarily  to  establish  civil  free- 
dom and  insure  social  progress,  and  the  immediate  aim 
is  to  set  up  a  constitutional  and  popular  form  of  gov- 
ernment. The  fact  that  it  has  that  particular  aim 
makes  its  leaders  regard  such  nations  as  the  United 
States  and  England  as  specially  worthy  of  imitation, 
and  the  example  of  these  nations  and  of  Japan  has 
impressed  them  with  the  conviction  that  national  prog- 
ress and  effectiveness  are  impossible  without  educa- 
tion, science,  and  civilization.  Consequently,  there  is 
a  new  and  growing  demand  for  education  in  sciences 
and  in  Western  languages.  Schools  for  giving  this 
education  are  springing  up  all  over  the  country,  and 
there  is  a  great  anxiety  to  learn.  Over  and  over  again, 
men  come  to  the  missionary  with  the  appeal,  "  We  are 
ignorant  and  know  nothing,  and  you  must  be  our 
teacher."  In  Persia,  the  old  regime  is  passing  away 
and  the  new  is  being  formed.  Nothing  is  fixed  as 
yet,  but  in  the  Near  East  as  well  as  in  the  Far  East, 
events  are  moving  with  a  rapidity  that  is  nothing  short 


NON-CHRISTIAN  NATIONS   CHANGING  17 

of  marvelous,  and  we  cannot  tell  what  a  few  years 
may  bring  forth. 

Even   in   Turkestan   and   Afghanistan   the   modern   Improve- 
spirit  of  transformation  and  change  is  felt.     It  is  in-   ments  in 
evitable  that  amid  all  the  restless  movements  in  the   Turkestanand 
neighboring  countries  —  Persia,  India,  and  Turkey  —  s  an 

Central  Asia  and  Afghanistan  will  not  remain  dor- 
mant. There  are  many  indications  of  the  influence  of 
the  modern  currents  of  the  more  distant  parts  of  the 
East  also  being  felt  in  these  regions.  Nothing  can 
hold  back  the  advance  of  Western  civilization  into  the 
very  heart  of  Asia.  The  railway  and  caravan  are  forc- 
ing upon  the  people  through  every  pass  and  along  every 
channel  of  communication  some  of  the  latest  inven- 
tions of  our  time.  At  Kabul,  one  may  see  sewing-ma- 
chines, rifles  with  smokeless  powder,  gramophones, 
and  automobiles.  One  of  the  results  of  the  visit  of  the 
Amir  of  Afghanistan  to  India  was  the  arrangement  by 
him  for  the  erection  of  looms  in  his  capital,  and  now 
we  hear  of  the  transportation  by  camel  train  of  pianos 
and  motor  cars,  and  apparatus  for  wireless  telegraphy 
through  the  Khaiber  Pass.  For  the  management  of 
all  these  modern  industries,  a  staff  of  European  en- 
gineers and  mechanics  has  been  admitted  into  the 
country. 

India,  in  common  with  all  other  lands  in  the  East,    Conditions 
is  in  a  state  of  change  and  unrest.     Great  and  sur-   in  India 
prising  transformations  have  taken  place  in  the  past 
few  years,  changes  which  many  did  not  expect  to  see 
occur  until  another  quarter  of  a  century  had  elapsed. 
Among  these  one  notes  the  growing  sense  of  concern 


1 8  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

on  the  part  of  many  outside  the  missionary  and  Chris- 
tian community  over  the  ills  which  afflict  the  great 
masses  of  the  people  of  this  landfills  intellectual, 
social,  and  religious.  Quite  apart  from  the  political 
movement  and  agitation  throughout  India  the  multi- 
tudes are  in  the  midst  of  marked  social  and  industrial 
developments  and  transformations.  It  is  true  that 
there  are  large  areas  of  country  inhabitated  by  scores 
of  millions  of  agricultural  people,  who  are  as  yet 
largely  untouched  by  the  new  spirit  of  change  and 
progress,  but  the  significant  fact  is,  that  the  higher 
and  more  influential  classes  have  been  profoundly 
affected  by  it.  These  classes  and  castes,  which  for 
ages  have  had  undisputed  authority  in  India,  are  now 
seeking  with  eagerness  to  increase  their  efficiency 
and  to  broaden  their  power.  The  educated  Hindus, 
and  increasingly  the  educated  Mohammedans,  have 
naturally  been  most  profoundly  influenced  by  the 
modern  civilization  as  a  result  of  their  knowledge  of 
the  English  language  and  their  contact  with  the  out- 
side world.  It  is  remarkable  also  that  individuals 
from  the  lowest  castes  and  from  the  outcastes  are, 
under  the  influence  of  Christianity  and  education, 
emerging  from  their  inferior  position  in  Indian  so- 
ciety, and  are  aspiring  to  places  of  prominence  and 
influence.  Morever,  there  are  unmistakable  signs  in 
different  parts  of  India  of  the  break-up  of  the  system 
of  caste,  which  has  done  more  to  hold  back  the 
progress  of  Indian  society  and  to  hinder  the  advance 
of  Christianity  than  any  other  cause. 

Even  more  remarkable  and  encouraging  is  the  thirst 


NON-CHRISTIAN  NATIONS  CHANGING  19 

for  learning  on  the  part  of  the  women  of  India.  The  Woman's 
last  Government  Quinquennial  Report  on  the  Progress  Education 
of  Education  in  India,  for  1902-1907,  in  giving  the 
percentage  of  girls  in  school  to  the  population  of 
school-going  age,  places  Burma  at  the  top  of  the  list 
with  8.14  per  cent.  Bombay  comes  next  with  5.9. 
The  Punjab  has  2.6,  and  the  United  Provinces  only 
1.2.  It  would  appear  that  for  the  whole  country  not 
one  girl  in  twenty-five  of  school-going  age  is  in  school, 
and  that  the  overwhelming  proportion  of  those  who 
are  do  not  advance  beyond  the  lower  primary  grade. 
There  is,  however,  a  growing  desire  among  the  men 
for  the  education  of  their  daughters,  wives,  and  sis- 
ters. Without  doubt  India  is  undergoing  great 
social,  political,  industrial,  and  religious  changes.  A 
new  nation  is  coming  to  birth. 

Of  no  other  country  in  the  recent  or  remote  past  Turkey  a 
could  it  be  said  so  truly  as  it  can  be  said  of  Turkey,  Marvel 
that  it  is  a  nation  born  in  a  day.  On  July  24,  1908, 
the  reactionary  Sultan  Abdul  Hamid,  who  had  reigned 
since  1876,  was  forced  by  the  progressive  party  of 
young  Turks  to  grant  a  constitution  and  call  a  parlia- 
ment. The  marvelous  change  came  unexpectedly 
and  with  lightning-like  rapidity.  No  correspondent, 
missionary,  consul,  or  ambassador  had  predicted  it. 
In  some  respects  it  was  the  most  extraordinary  revo- 
lution which  has  ever  taken  place  among  either  an 
Asiatic  or  a  European  people.  Within  the  course  of 
a  few  weeks  Turkey  passed  from  the  most  absolute 
despotism  to  one  of  the  progressive  countries  of  the 
world.    The  Young  Turks  carried  all  with  them,  from 


20 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Great 

Moderation 
and  Poise 


Genuine 
Freedom 
Secured 


the  Christian  races,  the  Jews,  and  even  uncivilized 
tribes,  to  many  of  the  Mohammedan  leaders  and  parts 
of  the  army,  and  won  the  sympathetic  and  en- 
thusiastic approval  of  every  foreign  nation.  Abdul 
Hamid  has  finally  been  deposed  and  succeeded  by 
Mehmed  V,  a  man  of  liberal  views. 

The  peacefulness  and  moderation  characterizing  the 
first  stage  of  this  revolution,  that  of  the  summer  of 
1908,  were  as  notable  as  its  suddenness  and  complete- 
ness. All  admit  that  the  Young  Turks  at  that  time 
showed  great  restraint,  poise,  and  ability.  Many  pre- 
dicted a  day  of  terrible  retribution,  should  those  who 
had  suffered  under  the  old  government  ever  get  the 
reins  of  power  into  their  own  hands.  Moreover,  the 
reactionary  movement  of  the  spring  of  1909  seemed  to 
afford  additional  justification  for  such  forebodings, 
but  although  terrible  bloodshed  and  cruelty  charac- 
terized that  awful  ebullition  of  religious  fanaticism 
and  reactionary  jealousy  in  Cilicia,  subsequent  events 
have  clearly  shown  that  the  progressive  forces  which, 
under  the  leadership  of  the  Young  Turk  party  accom- 
plished the  early  revolution  and  are  still  in  the  ascend- 
ant, are  of  such  strength  and  influence  as  to  give 
promise  of  leading  the  movement  of  progress  from 
strength  to  strength. 

Although  the  Turkish  revolution  took  place  so  re- 
cently, the  changes  which  it  has  accomplished  seem 
almost  incredible.  The  autocracy  has  been  done  away 
with,  a  constitutional  government  has  been  established, 
the  once  forbidden  words,  "  Liberty,  equality,  frater- 
nity, justice,"  the  proclaiming  of  which  a  few  years 


NON-CHRISTIAN  NATIONS  CHANGING  21 

ago  would  have  sent  a  man  into  banishment  or  to  death, 
are  now  freely  spoken.  The  system  of  spies,  in  con- 
nection with  which  there  were  said  to  have  been  over 
40,000  in  Constantinople  alone,  has  been  abolished. 
The  galling  restrictions  of  the  censorship  have  been 
removed.  The  freest  agitation  of  political  questions  is 
permitted  in  the  press  and  in  public  meetings. 

Interesting  educational  changes  are  taking  place.  Educational 
Under  the  old  regime,  knowledge  was  dangerous  and  and  Social 
men  hid  it.  Now,  it  is  coming  to  light.  Meetings  for  Changes 
the  discussion  of  all  sorts  of  questions,  political  and 
otherwise,  are  held  in  mosques  and  churches,  in  halls 
and  public  squares.  The  number  of  periodicals  has  al- 
ready been  greatly  multiplied.  It  is  said  that  over  two 
hundred  new  papers  have  been  started  in  Constantino- 
ple alone.  The  changes  are  affecting  powerfully  the 
social  life.  There  could  be  no  better  indication  of  this 
than  the  changing  position  of  women.  The  general 
ignorance  and  social  degradation  of  Mohammedan 
women  had  been  one  of  the  greatest  barriers  to  the  ad- 
vance of  Turkey.  The  new  movement  carries  with  it 
the  education  and  emancipation  of  women.  No  one 
three  years  ago  would  have  dreamed  of  Turkish 
women  attending  public  meetings,  but  that  is  a  common 
practice  now. 

In  the  case  of  Turkey — as  of  every  nation  which  has   A  Foundation 
traveled  along  the  road  of  progress — there  will  come   Needed 
times  of  reaction.     The  problem  of  popular  govern- 
ment in  Turkey  is  by  no  means  solved.    Old  jealousies 
and  rivalries  will  continue  to  assert  themselves ;  but 
whatever  reaction  there  may  be,  Turkey  will  never  go 


22 


DECISIVE  HOUR   OF  MISSIONS 


South  African 
Outlook 


Advance 
in  Egypt 


back  where  she  was  before  July  24,  1908.  And  say 
what  we  may  about  the  future,  the  present,  at  least, 
is  a  time  of  liberty.  There  has  come  at  last  throughout 
the  Turkish  Empire  freedom  to  travel,  to  assemble,  to 
speak,  to  print,  to  educate.  Only  some  great  loosening 
of  the  principles  and  prejudices  of  the  Mohammedan 
past  could  have  permitted  such  a  transformation,  even 
though  it  were  to  prove  but  a  temporary  change.  It 
is  more  than  doubtful  whether  Islam  ever  can  supply 
a  moral  sense  of  sufficient  power  to  sustain  these  new 
principles  of  liberty.  The  Turkish  people,  too,  have 
moved  in  response  to  the  flowing  tide  and  have  shown 
that  they,  like  the  other  nations,  are  ready  now  to 
learn  from  the  Christian  civilizations  of  the  West. 
What  the  future  of  the  New  Turkey  will  be  depends 
entirely  upon  what  she  is  taught  during  this  time  of 
open-mindedness  and  change. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  call  attention  to  the  economic, 
social,  and  educational  development  of  the  native  races 
of  South  Africa,  which  development,  along  with  the 
political  evolution,  has  advanced  steadily  through  the 
past  two  or  three  generations.  Suffice  it  to  state  that 
in  no  period  has  the  progress  been  more  marked, 
judged  by  every  test,  than  during  the  last  two  decades. 
This  progress  is  observable  in  almost  every  part  of 
what  is  known  as  the  Sub-Continent,  the  part  of  Africa 
lying  south  of  the  Zambesi. 

The  facts  regarding  the  transformation  of  Egypt 
during  the  last  two  or  three  decades  are  also  well 
known.  The  industrial  and  educational  advances 
which  have  been  made  within  this  period  have  been 


NON-CHRISTIAN  NATIONS   CHANGING  23 

indeed  marked.  Egypt,  formerly  one  of  the  worst 
governed  countries  of  modern  times,  has  now  a  govern- 
ment which  may  be  characterized  as  stable,  enlight- 
ened, and  efficient.  The  transformations  which  have 
taken  place  in  the  Upper  Nile  portion  of  the  Sudan 
within  the  last  five  years  constitute  one  of  the  most 
encouraging  examples  of  progress  to  be  found  in  any 
part  of  the  non-Christian  world.  Good  railways  and 
roads  have  been  made ;  modern  methods  of  agriculture 
and  forestry  have  been  introduced;  industries  have 
been  established;  a  sound  financial  system  has  been 
put  into  operation;  the  country  is  administered  with 
justice;  a  good  school  system,  leading  up  to  the 
efficient  Gordon  College,  has  been  created;  social  evils 
have  been  abolished,  including  slavery  and  polygamy. 
No  region  had  sunk  to  a  lower  depth,  socially  and 
economically,  yet  few  sections  of  the  non-Christian 
world  give  brighter  signs  of  promise. 

Even  in  the  great  heart  of  Africa  the  streams  of  Results  in 
modern  progress  are  moving  with  increasing  momen-  Central 
turn.  Only  a  generation  ago,  at  the  time  when  Stanley 
met  Livingstone,  the  vast  region  of  Central  Africa, 
covering  a  territory  of  over  two  million  square  miles, 
was  practically  unknown.  An  examination  of  the  map 
of  Africa  of  that  time  indicates  there  a  blank  with  the 
exception  of  the  coast  lines.  In  the  intervening  years 
that  whole  region  has  been  explored  and  is  now  well 
known,  and  the  new  maps  show  the  river  systems, 
mountains,  lakes,  cities,  and  towns.  This  whole  region 
is  now  divided  among  European  powers,  and  is  coming 
into  the  light  of  civilization.     Thirty  years  ago  there 


Africa 


24  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

were  no  railways  in  this  great  territory.  Now  1200 
miles  of  railway  are  in  operation,  and  1000  miles  more 
are  under  construction.  It  took  Stanley  104  days  to 
make  the  journey  from  the  East  Coast  to  Victoria 
Nyanza,  whereas  it  can  now  be  made  by  rail  in  com- 
fort within  three  days.  Railways  lead  toward  the 
heart  of  Africa,  not  only  from  the  East  Coast,  but  also 
from  the  west,  the  north,  and  the  south.  About 
twenty  years  ago,  in  Uganda,  the  only  avenues  of 
communication  were  footpaths.  Now  broad  roads, 
on  which  the  Governor  is  able  to  use  his  motor  car, 
intersect  the  country  in  every  direction.  On  the 
inland  rivers  and  lakes,  the  steamer  lines  cover  a 
distance  of  nearly  7000  miles.  In  this  territory  also 
over  5000  miles  of  telegraph  are  in  operation.  A 
modern  postal  service  is  extending  in  every  principal 
division  of  interior  Africa.  Bishop  Tucker  has 
pointed  out  that  when  he  first  reached  Uganda 
they  were  obliged  to  wait  eight  or  nine  months  for  a 
home  mail,  but  now  there  is  a  weekly  service.  In  the 
year  1907,  the  mails  of  British  East  Africa  and  of  the 
Congo  carried  three  million  letters  and  parcels. 
Educationally  Educational  progress  is  also  evident.  Not  a  few 
A  Plastic  tribes  and  peoples  have  within  a  generation  acquired 

Field  a  written  language  and  the  beginning  of  a  literature. 

Many  hundreds,  if  not  thousands,  of  schools  under 
government  and  missionary  auspices,  may  now  be 
found  throughout  this  expanse,  where  at  the  time  of 
Livingstone's  journeys  there  were  none.  In  Uganda 
alone  there  are  in  these  schools  over  30,000  boys  and 
girls.    There  are  also  large  sales  of  school-books  and 


NON-CHRISTIAN  NATIONS   CHANGING  25 

Christian  literature  in  the  vernaculars.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  the  Belgian  Congo  with  its  terrible  abuses 
and  parts  of  French  Africa  in  which  an  unprogressive 
policy  is  maintained,  the  advancement  of  interior 
Africa  has  been  of  such  extent  and  character  as  to 
constitute  a  ground  for  great  hopefulness  for  the 
future.  It  reveals  the  larger  part  of  a  vast  continent 
in  the  beginnings  of  transformation  from  ignorance, 
barbarism,  and  superstition,  into  the  light  of  modern 
civilization,  and  as  time  advances  the  transformation 
will  become  more  and  more  complete.  Owing  to  the 
simpler  character  of  the  primitive  African  peoples, 
this  continent  is  in  many  respects  the  most  plastic  part 
of  the  world,  and  will  be  during  this  generation  the 
most  readily  susceptible  to  whatever  influences  are 
brought  to  bear  upon  it. 

Out  of  these  remarkable  movements  among  the  na-  New  At- 
tions  one  feature  emerges,  so  noticeable  and  important  titude 
as  to  merit  special  consideration.  At  first,  these 
changes  which  are  taking  place  were  largely  involun- 
tary, and,  in  many  cases,  were  forced  upon  unwilling 
peoples,  but  now  they  are  becoming  part  of  a  definite 
policy  of  national  aggrandizement.  Since  the  war  be- 
tween Japan  and  Russia,  in  all  parts  of  the  non-Chris- 
tian world,  but  especially  in  Asia,  this  national  spirit 
has  been  growing,  and,  associated  with  it,  a  spirit  of 
racial  pride  and  antagonism.  In  almost  every  country 
it  is  the  expression  of  the  growing  self-consciousness 
of  the  people.  They  are  learning  to  be  proud  of  their 
past.  They  believe  that  they  have  resources  and 
ability  to  make  their  own  contribution  to  the  life  of 


26  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

the  world.  They  wish  to  preserve  their  individuality 
and  independence  and  to  be  true  to  their  own  national 
and  racial  characteristics.  They  are  beginning  to 
feel  that  they  have  a  right  to  stand  alongside  of  the 
great  nations  of  the  West,  not  as  inferiors  but  as 
equals.  Accordingly  they  resent  all  foreign  domina- 
tion and  are  sensitive  as  to  the  influence  of  all  things 
foreign.  They  wish  to  be  allowed  to  work  out  their 
own  destiny,  and  are  forming  high  conceptions  of 
what  that  destiny  is.  They  are  becoming  more  and 
more  ambitious  and  confident  in  their  own  powers 
and  ability,  and  are  no  longer  willing  to  move  quietly 
on,  but  are  determined  to  succeed  and  become  great 
and  independent. 
Spirit  of  There  are  many  illustrations  of  the  growth  of  this 

Nationalism,  spirit  of  nationalism  in  the  non-Christian  world.  We 
have  seen  how  it  has  manifested  itself  in  emancipating 
Japan  by  sheer  force  of  merit  from  an  extra-territorial 
position  among  nations  and  finally  in  making  her  the 
dominant  power  in  the  East.  In  China  there  is  now 
another  marked  example  of  growing  consciousness  of 
nationality  and  of  a  desire  to  acquire  national  inde- 
pendence and  power.  We  find  this  spirit  exhibiting 
itself  in  various  ways.  One  of  the  viceroys  has  pre- 
pared a  book  on  patriotism  which  has  been  circulated 
by  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  copies — more  than 
any  other  book  save  the  Scriptures.  Many  articles 
bearing  on  the  subject  of  nationalism  are  appearing  in 
Chinese  periodicals.  There  are  frequent  references  to 
"  our  country  "  in  the  newspapers  and  in  speeches. 
The  use  of  the  Chinese  flag  on  modern  school  build- 


NON-CHRISTIAN  NATIONS  CHANGING  27 

ings  and  the  singing  of  patriotic  songs  in  the  schools 
are  other  illustrations.  Societies  have  been  formed  to 
debate  political  questions,  especially  the  relation  of 
China  to  other  nations.  The  boycott  against  Ameri- 
can and  other  foreign  goods,  the  creation  of  a  modern 
army,  now  numbering  over  200,000  men,  and  the  riots 
occurring  from  time  to  time,  are  also  facts  pointing 
eloquently  and  unmistakably  to  the  expansion  of  the 
national  spirit. 

Not  less  significant  is  the  attitude  to  Christianity  Effects  in 
adopted  by  some  of  the  leading  Chinese  reformers,  China 
who  have  been  imperfectly  instructed.  The  awaken- 
ing of  a  national  spirit  in  China  tends  to  close  minds 
and  hearts  to  everything  connected  with  the  for- 
eign teacher.  Without  doubt  the  officials  are  indi- 
rectly doing  much  to  prevent  the  people  from  accepting 
Christianity.  Apparently  they  cannot  free  their  minds 
from  the  conviction  that  the  missionary  movement  is 
after  all  only  another  form  of  political  activity.  They 
have  had  experience  in  the  past  with  certain  forms  of 
Christianity,  particularly  the  Roman  Catholic,  which 
abundantly  explains  the  strength  of  their  conviction. 
It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  it  is  openly  announced 
in  Chinese  newspapers  that  the  programme  of  the  New 
China  must  be  to  recover  China's  sovereign  rights  and 
to  extinguish  the  Church.  China  fears  any  teaching 
or  movement  which  centers  abroad.  Her  sentiment  is 
no  more  against  Christianity  than  against  railways  and 
mines  worked  or  superintended  by  foreigners.  In  fact, 
she  is  more  eager  to  redeem  her  railways  and  mines 
than  to  expel  Christians.     The  spirit  of  restiveness 


28  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

under  dominant  foreign  influence  manifests  itself,  fur- 
ther, not  only  in  the  political  and  commercial  relations 
of  China,  but  also  inside  the  Chinese  Christian  Church 
itself.  At  conferences  in  three  of  the  principal  cities, 
attended  by  the  leading  Chinese  pastors  and  Christian 
teachers,  one  of  the  chief  reasons  given  by  them  to 
explain  why  more  of  the  ablest  Christian  students  do 
not  enter  the  ministry,  was  the  strong  feeling  of  dissat- 
isfaction with  the  subordinate  position  held  by  native 
pastors. 

In  India  also  there  is  an  equally  evident  example  of 
growing  national  spirit.  The  Swadeshi  (i.e.  our  own 
country)  Movement  which  has  developed  to  such  an 
extent  in  recent  years  is  a  direct  outcome  or  exhibition 
of  nationalism.  On  the  industrial  side,  it  has  led  to 
the  formation  of  Swadeshi  commercial  companies, 
Swadeshi  factories  and  mills,  Swadeshi  steamship 
lines,  and  Swadeshi  banks.  All  of  these  are  organ- 
ized, financed,  and  directed  by  Indians  and  have  been 
managed  with  commendable  efficiency.  They  are 
usually  conducted  along  modern  lines,  and  represent 
a  serious  effort  on  the  part  of  the  Indian  people  to 
improve  their  industrial  position,  to  increase  their  in- 
dustrial efficiency,  and  to  make  their  country  indus- 
trially and  commercially  independent.  An  illustration 
of  the  progressive  character  of  this  development  is 
the  fact  that  an  Indian  society  has  been  formed  in 
connection  with  which  scores  of  promising  Indian 
young  men  have  been  sent  to  various  European  coun- 
tries as  well  as  to  America  and  Japan  to  master  certain 
trades  and  industrial  processes,  in  order  that  they  may 


NON-CHRISTIAN  NATIONS  CHANGING  29 

on  their  return  lead  their  countrymen  out  into  a  more 
effective  and  productive  economic  life. 

Many  Indian  reviews  and  other  periodicals  have  Other  Signs 
been  started  within  recent  years  to  promote  the  de-  of  National- 
velopment  of  the  Indian  national  or  patriotic  spirit,  ism 
some  of  which  are  edited  with  ability  and  exert  a  wide 
influence.  Even  the  Indian  papers  which  are  most 
loyal  to  the  Government  are  devoted  more  than  ever 
to  the  discussion  of  such  questions.  An  immense 
amount  of  literature  is  being  published  in  a  very  cheap 
form,  both  in  the  vernaculars  and  in  English,  treating 
the  social,  industrial,  and  political  aspects  of  national- 
ism, and  this  literature  is  being  circulated  broadcast  in 
all  parts  of  India.  The  Indian  National  Congress,  as 
heretofore,  devotes  itself  largely  to  the  discussion  of 
the  political  phases  of  the  national  movement,  and 
within  the  past  few  years,  an  increasing  number  of 
provincial  and  district  conferences  have  been  held  for 
the  purpose  of  discussing  and  agitating  similar  ques- 
tions. The  recent  acts  of  violence,  although  limited 
to  a  very  small  section  of  Indian  society,  may  be  re- 
garded as  unfortunate  exhibitions  of  the  same  national 
spirit.  Among  the  masses  there  is  a  growing  feeling 
that  they  should  be  treated  with  more  consideration 
and  justice  by  Europeans.  This  feeling  has  shown 
itself,  as  it  did  not  even  ten  years  ago,  in  bitter  com- 
plaints concerning  any  unjust  treatment  in  railway 
trains,  on  steamships,  and  also  on  plantations  and  in 
offices.  Even  in  the  Christian  Church  this  independ- 
ence and  rebellion  against  unequal  treatment  is  mani- 
fested.    There  is  a  keen  feeling  of  dissatisfaction  with 


30 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


reference  to  the  government  of  the  Churches,  and  the 
Indians  are  strongly  demanding  that  they  have  a  more 
responsible  part.  So  much  do  they  resent  their  present 
subordination,  that  the  feeling  has  often  become  anti- 
missionary.  Rather  than  be  subject  to  a  foreigner, 
they  are  sometimes  content  to  be  without  his  help. 

Africa  as  well  as  Asia  affords  illustrations  of  a 
growing  national  and  racial  patriotism.  Nationalism 
in  Egypt  is  in  most  respects  a  pro-Moslem  movement 
and  therefore  intensifies  the  dislike  of  the  Egyptian 
towards  the  foreigner  and  the  Christian.  It  tends  to 
fan  the  flames  of  fanaticism,  both  in  the  cities  and  in 
the  provinces,  and  this  makes  it  much  more  dangerous 
than  it  is  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  In  South  Africa 
the  movement  may  be  characterized  as  racial  rather 
than  national.  Among  the  native  Christians  it  mani- 
fested itself  in  a  special  way,  known  as  the  Ethiopian 
Movement.  This  was  an  effort  to  establish  an  African 
Church  independent  of  the  control  or  supervision  of 
foreign  missionaries,  and  it  attracted  to  itself  some  of 
the  loyal  and  genuine  Christians  as  well  as  those  who 
were  disaffected  and  unworthy.  It  served  to  under- 
mine the  former  trust  of  the  colored  people  in  white 
missionaries  and  eventually,  through  becoming  en- 
tangled in  politics,  resulted  in  such  dangerous  tenden- 
cies as  to  call  forth  repressive  governmental  measures. 
'As  a  result  of  lax  practice  with  regard  to  baptism 
and  the  want  of  searching  church  discipline,  the  move- 
ment has  declined  in  spiritual  power  and  no  longer 
wields  its  former  influence.  Owing  to  various  causes 
there  has   been   a  growing  antagonism  between   the 


NON-CHRISTIAN  NATIONS   CHANGING  31 

white  and  the  black  races  in  South  Africa,  outside  as 
well  as  within  the  Church.  New  racial  hopes  have 
been  stimulated  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  South 
Africa  even  by  so  remote  a  cause  as  the  victories  of 
the  Japanese,  and  besides  this,  some  of  the  regulations 
and  disciplinary  measures  employed  by  different 
colonial  governments  have  served  to  drive  the  colored 
people  definitely  into  the  arms  of  the  Mohammedans 
and  have  brought  about  a  fraternization  involving 
political  as  well  as  religious  danger.  The  war  in 
German  Southwest  Africa  has  also  embittered  the 
feelings  of  the  Cape  colored  people  against  everything 
European,  while  the  antagonism  of  race  and  color  has 
recently  been  rendered  more  serious,  inasmuch  as  the 
new  Constitution  of  the  Union  of  South  Africa  with- 
draws from  the  colored  people  certain  rights  hitherto 
tacitly  conceded  to  them,  and  because  the  Parliament 
of  the  Union  has  the  power  to  deprive  the  colored 
people  of  further  privileges.  This  retrogressive  action 
has  stirred  the  feelings  of  the  half-castes  to  the  depths, 
and  has  kindled  a  fire  which  cannot  easily  be  ex- 
tinguished. 

It  is  difficult  to  specify  the  causes  of  these  great  up-   Causes  of 
heavals  in  all  these  countries.     The  leaven  of  Western   of  these 
civilization  has  for  many  years  been  slowly  penetrating  uPneavals 
the  Asiatic  consciousness  and  what  is  now  coming  to 
light  is  largely  the  result  of  this  process.     It  has  been 
greatly  accelerated,  however,  by  the  growing  commer- 
cial intercourse  of  to-day,  the  streams  of  travel  be- 
tween East  and  West,  and  the  migrations  of  students. 
We  cannot  exaggerate,  for  example,  the  influence  upon 


32  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

China  of  the  return  of  Chinese  students  from  Tokyo 
and  the  West,  with  their  minds  full  of  science  and 
Western  methods,  but  their  hearts  burning  because  of 
what  they  have  learned  of  the  Opium  War  with  Eng- 
land, and  of  what  they  regard  as  the  unjust  exclusion 
acts  of  America,  Canada,  and  Australia,  of  the  seizing 
of  their  territory  by  Russia,  Germany,  France,  and 
Japan,  and  of  the  building  in  their  own  capital  city  of 
legations,  which  are  like  fortresses,  stocked  with 
munitions  of  war  and  manned  with  foreign  troops. 
The  ascendancy  of  the  West,  so  bitter  to  the  Asiatic, 
has  emphasized  the  value  of  a  new  and  better  concep- 
tion of  nationality.  The  progress,  victory,  and  power 
of  the  Empire  of  the  Rising  Sun  have  become  known 
and  have  been  discussed  in  the  marts  of  China,  the 
bazaars  of  India,  the  khans  of  Persia  and  Turkey, 
and  even  in  the  caravansaries  of  Arabia  and  Africa, 
and  have  powerfully  stimulated  national  hopes  and 
ambitions  and  led  to  great  changes  in  national  outlook 
and  practice.  As  a  writer  in  The  Spectator  has  point- 
ed out,  "  By  some  inscrutable  means  of  temperamental 
communication,  the  aspirations  of  one  country  are 
quickly  adopted  by  another,  however  different  in  intel- 
lectual and  political  equipment  they  may  be."  Even 
so  Japan's  ambitions  and  successes  have  kindled  like 
aspirations  in  other  lands  and  have  led  to  this  rest- 
less movement  and  this  conscious  copying  of  the  West. 
Christianity  But  a  far  more  potent  cause  has  been  the  sense  of 

and  Liberty  ^e  value  of  the  individual  and  the  desire  for  genuine 
liberty  and  progress  which  have  been  awakened  and 
developed    in    men    through    the    knowledge    of    the 


NON-CHRISTIAN  NATIONS   CHANGING  33 

Christian  Scriptures,  through  the  proclamation  of  the 
mission  of  Christ  to  man,  and  through  the  Christ- 
leavened  institutions,  ideals,  and  practices  of  the  West. 
It  is  this  discovery  of  the  worth  and  rights  of  the  in- 
dividual man  that  has  made  possible,  for  example,  the 
ignoring  of  caste  by  such  numbers  of  the  educated 
classes  in  India,  and  it  is  this  which  alone  has  caused 
the  movement  among  the  native  races  in  Africa.  In 
many  lands  the  Christian  missionary  has  been  the 
pioneer  of  all  the  subsequent  development,  and  wher- 
ever Christ  has  come,  He  has  led  men  to  look  up  to 
new  ideals  and  to  set  new  values  on  things.  This 
goes  far  towards  explaining  the  origin  of  the  whole 
movement.  The  Chinese,  the  Indian,  and  the  African 
are  seeking  to  shape  their  nations  to  achieve  great 
destinies,  because  they  are  learning  from  the  West  the 
lesson  which  Christ  taught  it,  the  dignity  and  inherent 
greatness  of  every  human  life,  and  are  realizing  there- 
by what  they  can  become.  Without  doubt,  as  in 
Korea,  so  in  many  another  land,  Christianity  has  fur- 
nished the  principal  transforming  influence  and  power. 

What  is  to  be  the  future  of  these  nations  ?  This  Need  of 
question  forces  itself  upon  us  as  we  survey  the  facts.  Religious 
In  every  part  of  the  non-Christian  world  this  is  a  time 
of  transition.  The  nations  are  passing  from  the  old  to 
the  new,  and  everywhere  they  are  looking  to  the  West 
for  guidance.  What  guidance  are  they  to  receive? 
The  Chinese  are  anxious  to  secure  all  the  material  ad- 
vantages of  Western  civilization,  while  ignoring  its 
underlying  principles  and  inspiration.  Japan  has 
adopted  Western  methods  in  everything  that  will  in- 


Basis 


34 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Urgent 
Moment 
in  India 
and  China 


crease  her  material  power.  Is  this  all  that  India  and 
Turkey  and  all  these  other  lands  are  to  find  when  they 
look  towards  the  West?  They  are  examining  us  to 
see  what  has  made  us  rich  and  powerful,  and  there  is 
a  grave  danger  that  they  may  form  wrong  judgments. 
Religion  is  the  most  fundamental  thing  in  our  civiliza- 
tion, but  there  is  an  undoubted  danger  that  these 
peoples  may  not  recognize  this  truth  to-day.  They 
have  been  taking  much  from  us.  If  we  do  not  give 
them  our  religion,  have  we  given  them  of  our  best? 
If  they  adopt  our  civilization  without  our  religion, 
what  moral  disasters  may  not  result?  Have  not, 
therefore,  Christian  people  a  special  responsibility  at 
such  time  as  this? 

The  responsibility  is  increased  by  the  fact  that  these 
peoples  will  not  always  remain  open  to  new  influences. 
The  words  of  Bishop  Lefroy,  of  Lahore,  are  doubtless 
applicable  not  only  to  India,  but  also  to  practically  all 
of  the  other  non-Christian  lands  which  have  been  con- 
sidered. "  Of  this  we  may  be  certain,  that  unless  at 
the  present  time,  while  almost  everything  is  in  solu- 
tion, and  the  direction  largely  undetermined,  Christian- 
ity really  enters  in  as  a  potent  factor,  able  in  greater  or 
less  degree  to  exercise  that  commanding  influence 
which  is  hers  by  right,  if  only  she  is  given  a  chance ; 
and  if  the  new  life  of  India  is  allowed  to  set  and  take 
shape  and  form,  independently  of  her  influence,  then 
for  generations  to  come  the  door  to  advance  will  be 
fast-barred  to  a  degree  of  which  wTe  have  hitherto  had 
no  experience  whatever."  The  need  of  a  strong  re- 
ligious basis  for  public  and  individual  life  is  so  urgent 


NON-CHRISTIAN  NATIONS  CHANGING  35 

that  unless  met  in  a  satisfactory  way  by  the  Christian 
Church  the  great  majority  of  the  one  million  or  more 
educated  Indians  will  inevitably  drift  into  some  form 
or  other  of  Hindu  pantheism  or  rationalistic  theism, 
which  will  then  constitute  the  most  serious  obstacle  in 
the  way  of  the  spread  of  Christianity.  Moreover,  now 
is  the  opportunity  in  China  to  impress  upon  the  officials 
and  the  people  of  that  land,  that  only  righteousness 
and  integrity  of  character  can  make  a  nation  perma- 
nently great,  and  that  these  are  the  direct  products  of 
the  Christian  Gospel.  It  cannot  be  said  that  vacilla- 
tion is  a  characteristic  of  the  Chinese.  If  a  race  with 
their  traits  determine  on  a  certain  attitude  toward  re- 
ligion, the  danger  is  that  they  may  not  change  again 
for  generations.  We  have  to  face  the  certainty  that, 
in  a  comparatively  short  space  of  time,  this  stage  of 
transition  will  have  passed.  The  present  plastic  con- 
dition of  the  nations  will  have  given  place  to  a  condition 
of  rigidity,  and  the  influences  which  might  be  so  effect- 
ive if  brought  to  bear  now,  will  then  be  exerted  in  vain. 

The  development  and  spread  of  the  spirit  of  national  Value  of 
and  racial  patriotism  is,  however,  the  most  significant  Nationalism 
fact  of  all.  It  is  not  an  evil  thing.  It  cannot  and 
should  not  be  checked.  Christ  never  by  teaching  or 
example  resisted  or  withstood  the  spirit  of  true  na- 
tionalism. Wherever  His  principles,  including  those 
pertaining  to  the  supreme  claims  of  His  Kingdom  on 
earth,  have  had  the  right  of  way,  they  have  served  to 
strengthen  national  spirit  and  not  to  weaken  it.  But 
it  is  a  matter  of  profound  concern  to  the  Western 
world.     Who  can  measure  what  it  will  mean  for  man- 


36  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

kind  when  not  only  Japan  but  also  China  with  her  un- 
limited resources  and  India  with  her  300,000,000 
people  take  their  place  among  the  great  civilized 
powers?  The  influence  which  they  will  exert  upon 
the  life  and  thought  of  the  world  must  be  enormous, 
whatever  its  nature;  whether  it  will  be  Christian  or 
not  depends  largely  on  the  direction  given  to  it  to-day. 
It  is  the  duty  of  the  Church  to  bring  pure  Christianity 
to  bear  at  once  in  order  to  help  to  educate,  purify, 
unify,  guide,  and  strengthen  the  national  spirit.  The 
possibilities  are  great  if  the  Christian  Church  will 
identify  itself  freely  and  largely  with  all  these  noble 
national  aspirations.  If  Christianity  will  show  that  it 
has  a  message  not  merely  for  individuals  but  for 
society  and  for  the  nation  as  a  whole,  that  it  can 
adapt  itself  to  the  people  whom  it  seeks  to  save,  and 
that  it  does  not  deem  it  essential,  even  desirable, 
that  the  ordered  life  of  the  Christian  community  in 
Asia  and  Africa  should  follow  in  every  respect  the 
lines  of  European  and  American  Christianity,  it  may 
attract  instead  of  repel  these  rising  nations.  Their 
newly  found  life  when  ruled  by  Christ  will  be  a  source 
of  strength  to  their  own  nations  and  to  the  Christian 
faith. 


CRITICAL  TENDENCIES    AND 

INFLUENCES    IN   THE 

NON-CHRISTIAN   WORLD 


CHAPTER    II 

CRITICAL    TENDENCIES    AND    INFLUENCES    IN     THE 
NON-CHRISTIAN     WORLD 

The  changes  and  transformations  that  are  in  progress  Opening  for 
in  these  non-Christian  nations  are  not  confined  to  the  Evil 
political,  social,  and  commercial  spheres,  but  are  affect-  ^f111611068 
ing  the  religious  also,  and  that  in  two  quite  opposite 
directions.  On  the  one  hand,  by  the  removing  of  old 
prejudices,  the  way  is  unmistakably  being  prepared  for 
the  acceptance  of  Christianity  by  large  masses  of  the 
people  in  many  lands,  and  in  this  aspect  all  that  is  hap- 
pening is  full  of  hope.  These  movements  towards 
Christianity  and  the  opportunity  presented  by  them 
will  be  considered  in  the  next  chapter,  but  here  it  may 
be  well  to  make  a  survey  of  the  special  difficulties  which 
Christianity  has  to  meet  in  the  present  situation. 
We  turn,  therefore,  in  this  chapter  to  observe  that, 
there  are  certain  tendencies,  movements,  and  influences 
manifesting  themselves  in  various  countries,  which  are 
not  only  tending  to  close  these  nations  against  Chris- 
tianity, but  are  placing  in  danger  their  moral  and  re- 
ligious future.  Prominent  among  these  are  the  cor- 
rupting influences  associated  with  Western  civilization 
which  are  permeating  many  parts  of  the  non-Christian 
world.     Just  as  the  development  of  improved  means 

39 


40 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Worst  Vices 
at  Points  of 
Contact 


of  communication  has  greatly  facilitated  the  propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel  and  the  sending  forth  of  the  pure 
and  hopeful  influences  of  Western  civilization,  so  the 
drawing  together  of  the  nations  and  races  as  a  result 
of  these  improvements  has  made  possible  the  more 
rapid  spread  of  influences  antagonistic  to  the  extension 
of  Christ's  Kingdom.  They  have  familiarized  a  vast 
and  increasing  number  of  non-Christian  peoples  with 
the  worst  practices  of  Western  life.  In  every  port,  as 
well  as  in  many  interior  cities  of  non-Christian  na- 
tions, one  finds  concentrated  the  evil  influences  of  the 
West.  Scattered  throughout  Africa  and  the  Pacific 
Islands,  not  to  mention  other  sections  of  the  world, 
are  thousands  of  Western  traders,  large  numbers  of 
whom  are  exerting  a  demoralizing  influence.  It  is 
most  unfortunate  that  the  European  settlers  who  are 
traveling  inland  in  the  various  colonies  and  protect- 
orates, as  well  as  the  agents  of  trading  companies, 
though  belonging  to  nominally  Christian  nations,  are 
far  too  often  men  who,  in  their  characters  and  lives, 
misrepresent  Christianity.  Testimony  is  borne  also  by 
many  to  the  corrupt  influence  of  Japanese  merchants 
and  immigrants  in  Korea,  Manchuria,  and  China,  who 
are  also  regarded  as  representing  in  a  measure  the 
civilization  of  the  West. 

The  multiplying  of  points  of  contact  with  the 
West,  through  the  expansion  of  its  commercial  and  in- 
dustrial system,  has  introduced  among  non-Christian 
peoples  new  temptations.  It  is  a  great  misfortune  that 
commercial  enterprise,  without  pure  Christianity,  com- 
municates to  the  people  an  added  hardening  of  heart, 


CRITICAL  TENDENCIES  41 

a  materializing  of  life,  and  a  new  immorality.  With 
the  influx  of  European  civilization  into  Africa,  for 
example,  there  seems  to  have  come  a  flood  of  perni- 
cious influences,  of  vice,  and  of  disease.  It  is  com- 
mented upon  by  many  observers,  that  whenever  an 
Eastern  and  a  Western  nation  impinge  upon  each 
other,  the  contact  in  some  mysterious  way  tends  to 
bring  out  the  worst  there  is  in  each.  The  vices  of 
Western  life  seem  to  work  with  added  deadliness 
among  men  of  the  more  simple  civilizations,  such  as 
those  found  in  Africa,  in  Oceania,  and  in  parts  of 
Asia.  This  can  be  observed  in  the  debasing  influence 
on  native  character  and  life  of  the  mining  centers,  to 
which  many  thousands  of  African,  Chinese,  and 
Indian  laborers  have  been  taken;  but  the  great  in- 
stance is  the  increase  in  the  liquor  traffic,  which  is 
traceable  directly  to  the  West. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  mention  a  part  of  the  non-  Liquor 
Christian  world  where  the  liquor  traffic  is  not  increas-  Traffic 
ing,  but  its  most  fearful  ravages  are  to  be  found  in 
the  ports  and  hinterland  of  Africa.  The  Anglican  and 
Roman  Catholic  bishops  in  different  parts  of  Africa 
bear  testimony  both  to  the  spread  of  this  traffic  and 
also  to  its  demoralizing  influence.  Special  public  at- 
tention has  recently  been  called  to  this  subject  as  a 
result  of  the  discussion  evoked  by  the  Report  of  the 
Government  Committee  regarding  the  Liquor  Traffic 
in  Southern  Nigeria.  In  the  year  1908,  over  three  mil- 
lion gallons  of  spirits  were  imported  into  Southern 
Nigeria,  valued  at  about  one-fourth  of  the  value  of 
the  total  imports  of  that  colony.    It  is  significant  that 


42  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

liquor  is  often  used  for  currency.  Drunkenness  is 
very  prevalent  in  different  parts  of  the  colony,  espe- 
cially in  those  most  exposed  to  European  influence. 
Not  only  the  men,  but  also  the  women  and  the  children 
are  addicted  to  it,  and  it  is  said  that  in  many  places 
possibly  the  women  drink  more  than  the  men.  Bishop 
Johnson  recently  told  of  visiting  a  school  of  seventy- 
five  children  between  the  ages  of  eight  and  sixteen, 
where  on  inquiry  he  found  that  only  fifteen  of  them 
had  not  been  drinking  gin.  The  desire  for  drink  has 
become  so  dominating  that  cases  are  not  infrequent  of 
parents  pawning  their  children  to  get  money  to  spend 
for  liquor.  Bishop  Oluwole  gave  testimony  before  the 
Government  Committee  of  Inquiry,  in  1909,  to  having 
seen  a  girl  pawned  for  $37.  One  of  the  most  striking 
indications  of  the  spread  of  the  liquor  traffic  is  the  fact 
that  even  Mohammedans  have  become  addicted  to  in- 
temperance. Facts  similar  to  these  about  Nigeria 
could  be  given  with  reference  to  many  of  the  other 
colonies  and  protectorates  of  Africa.  Among  the 
Pacific  Islands  too,  while  the  situation  has  improved 
in  some  of  them,  there  are  other  groups  where  the 
liquor  traffic  is  exerting  as  deadly  an  influence  as  in 
any  part  of  Africa.  One  of  the  most  damaging  and 
serious  facts  of  all,  is  that,  for  purposes  of  revenue, 
this  traffic  is  often  directly  promoted  by  colonial  gov- 
ernments, and  in  other  cases  is  conducted  with  their 
connivance  or  tacit  approval. 
Belgium  The  most  flagrant  example  of  a  so-called  Christian 

government  using  its  power  and  machinery  directly  to 
defraud,  to  oppress,  and  to  degrade  native  races  be- 


in  the 
Congo  State 


CRITICAL  TENDENCIES  43 

cause  of  greed,  is  that  of  Belgium  in  its  relation  to  the 
Congo.  On  the  unimpeachable  testimony  of  foreign 
missionaries  and  travelers,  and  even  of  members  of 
the  Commission  appointed  by  the  Belgian  Government 
to  investigate  conditions,  there  is  still  in  operation  in 
the  Belgian  Congo  a  system  of  organized  oppression 
and  plunder,  in  order  to  increase  the  output  of  rubber 
and  other  products  for  the  benefit  of  a  commercial 
company,  which  is  only  a  covering  name  for  the 
Belgian  State.  The  land  of  the  people  has  been  largely 
taken  in  violation  of  communal  and  tribal  rights.  The 
people  have  been  reduced  to  misery.  For  the  profit 
of  the  State  they  have  been  and  still  are  forced  to 
gather  the  products  of  the  land  thus  taken  from  them, 
and  the  pay  granted  is  miserably  poor.  No  refusal  is 
allowed,  and  the  most  diabolical  methods  have  been 
employed  by  the  subordinate  agents  of  the  State  to 
enforce  obedience.  Homes  are  broken  up  as  a  result 
of  members  being  forcibly  taken  away  and  compelled 
to  go  into  the  forests  to  gather  rubber.  Father  Yer- 
meerseh  sums  up  the  condition  of  great  numbers  of 
the  inhabitants  in  the  words,  "  immeasurable  misery." 
Without  doubt,  under  the  old  regime  which  obtained 
at  the  time  of  Stanley's  last  visit,  before  the  European 
influence  became  dominant,  the  tribes  were  infinitely 
happier  and  more  prosperous  than  at  the  present  time. 
It  is  hoped  that  under  the  new  king  of  Belgium  neces- 
sary reforms  may  be  effected. 

It  is  a  sad,  but  inevitable  fact,  that  as  a  rule  the   A  Challenge 
masses  of  non-Christian   people,   and  even  many   of 
their  leaders,  do  not  discriminate  between  the  genuine 


44  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

Christians  who  come  from  Western  countries,  such  as 
missionaries  and  sincere  and  worthy  Christian  laymen 
in  commercial  and  government  pursuits,  and  the 
vicious  representatives  of  the  West  who  go  among 
them.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  the  following 
challenge  is  a  typical  expression  of  the  opinion  of  a 
great  multitude  of  Asiatics  and  Africans :  "  You  come 
to  us  with  your  religion.  You  degrade  our  people 
with  drink.  You  scorn  our  religion,  in  many  points 
like  your  own,  and  then  you  wonder  why  Christianity 
makes  such  slow  progress  among  us.  I  will  tell  you. 
It  is  because  you  are  not  like  your  Christ." 

These  degrading  influences  constitute  a  deadly  gift 
from  the  modern  civilization  of  the  West,  but  it  is 
still  worse  to  have  to  recognize  that  some  of  them  are 
carried  to  the  East  also  by  numbers  of  its  own  sons. 
The  increasing  number  of  travelers  from  non-Chris- 
tian nations,  especially  the  wonderful  migration  of 
Oriental  students  to  America  and  Europe,  has,  in 
many  cases,  resulted  in  exposing  these  more  enter- 
prising representatives  of  the  non-Christian  world  to 
the  materialistic,  antichristian,  and  demoralizing  sides 
of  the  life  of  Western  nations.  On  their  return, 
some  of  them,  as  teachers,  editors,  and  government 
officials,  constitute  a  great  barrier  to  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel.  This  has  been  notably  true  of  many  Chinese 
and  Korean  students  on  their  return  from  Japan.  In 
Japan  old  ideals  have  been  completely  destroyed  under 
the  influence  of  the  West,  and  no  adequate  new  ideal 
has  been  generally  adopted.  As  a  consequence  the 
moral  tone  is  low,  and  many  of  those  who  go  to  Japan 


CRITICAL  TENDENCIES  45 

to  study  fall  victims  to  the  prevailing  looseness  and 
carry  back  this  attitude  to  their  native  land.  More- 
over, there  is  a  danger  that  the  thousands  of  Japanese 
teachers  who  are  going  into  Korea,  Manchuria,  and 
China  will  be  apostles  of  materialism  instead  of  being 
helpful  in  influencing  the  people  in  favor  of  higher 
things.  In  addition  to  what  is  being  forced  upon  China 
by  the  West,  there  is  at  her  very  doors  this  menace  to 
her  highest  welfare. 

Attention  should  also  be  called  to  the  effects  result- 
ing from  the  spread  of  infidel  and  rationalistic  ideas 
and  materialistic  views.  From  many  parts  of  the  non- 
Christian  world  have  come  reports  telling  of  the  wide 
dissemination  of  agnostic,  atheistic,  materialistic,  and 
destructive  socialistic  literature,  traceable  to  Western 
sources.  The  stream  of  this  influence  is  flowing  over 
China  to-day,  both  directly  from  the  West  and  also  by 
way  of  Japan.  The  writings  of  Haeckel,  Huxley,  and 
Spencer,  and  anti-theistic  and  antichristian  articles, 
both  original  and  translated  from  European  mag- 
azines, are  widely  circulated  not  only  in  India  and 
Japan,  but  also  in  such  newly  awakened  countries  as 
Turkey  and  China.  The  periodicals  of  the  non-Chris- 
tian religions  are  active  and  aggressive  in  publishing 
articles  showing  supposed  mistakes  in  the  Bible  and 
the  conclusions  of  destructive  criticism.  Ingersoll 
and  Bradlaugh  are  extensively  quoted  in  pamphlets 
against  the  Christian  faith,  and  the  most  bitter  and 
absurd  arguments  against  Christianity  in  which  these 
men  ever  indulged  have  been  translated  into  the  ver- 
naculars of  India,  and  have  been  disseminated  even 


46 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Modern 
Secular 
Education 


Japanese 

Government 

Schools 


among  the  villages.  Agnostic  literature  has  been 
systematically  introduced  among  students  and  in  the 
public  libraries.  Indecent  French  literature  has  been 
widely  circulated,  especially  in  the  Far  East  and  Near 
East.  All  this  is  having  its  effect  in  unsettling  men's 
minds  and  in  making  them  hostile  to  the  reception  of 
Christianity. 

The  unsettling  process  has  been  greatly  quickened 
and  emphasized  by  the  spread  of  modern  secular 
education.  In  the  two  most  advanced  non-Christian 
nations,  Japan  and  India,  there  are  to-day  great  gov- 
ernment systems  of  education,  including  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  pupils  and  students.  China  and  Korea 
are  rapidly  establishing  similar  systems,  and  that  of 
China  alone  will  soon  number  its  pupils  and  students 
by  the  million.  With  the  exception  of  those  of  the 
mission  schools  and  colleges  of  India  which  are  aided 
by  Government,  these  systems  are  throughout  pro- 
nouncedly secular.  The  governments  of  Turkey,  Per- 
sia, Egypt,  and  other  non-Christian  countries  are  also 
rapidly  developing  secular  educational  institutions,  and 
from  these  Christian  teaching  is  excluded  as  a  matter 
of  course. 

In  Japan  the  government  system  of  education,  which 
embraces  nearly  all  of  the  educational  work  of  the 
country,  has  undermined  belief  in  the  old  faiths,  and, 
as  a  result,  the  rising  generation  is  almost  without  re- 
ligion. The  educated  portion  of  the  population  is 
thus  largely  materialistic  and  agnostic.  The  system 
of  moral  instruction  in  the  government  schools  tends, 
on  the  one  hand,  to  ignore  or  even  to  create  contempt 


Schools  in 
Korea 


CRITICAL  TENDENCIES  47 

for  religion,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  to  regard  national- 
ism as  a  substitute  for  religion.  Few  of  the  govern- 
ment school  educators  have  any  use  for  religion. 
Hence  a  process  is  going  on  which  will  make  it  increas- 
ingly difficult  for  the  Gospel  to  find  entrance  to  the 
minds  of  the  educated  Japanese.  The  text-books  in 
these  modern  institutions  are  indifferent,  if  not  actual- 
ly hostile,  to  religion.  The  men  educated  in  the  gov- 
ernment schools  under  non-Christian  or  hostile  in- 
fluence thus  drift  into  agnosticism  and  materialism  and 
become  a  great  menace  to  the  Church. 

In  Korea,  the  activity  of  the  Japanese  Government  Similar 
in  establishing  schools  all  through  the  land,  and  the 
hunger  of  the  Korean  people  after  any  kind  of  knowl- 
edge will  result  soon  in  the  education,  to  an  extent 
hitherto  unknown,  of  large  numbers  of  young  men. 
It  is  feared  that  they  will  become  a  menace  rather  than 
a  blessing  to  the  nation,  because  the  education  which 
they  are  receiving  through  the  government  institutions 
is  planting  rationalistic  ideas  in  the  minds  of  the  hither- 
to simple-minded  people.  This  may  make  it  more  dif- 
ficult for  them  to  adopt  a  new  religion. 

In  China  the  enormous  spread  of  government  educa-  Effects  in 
tion,  usually  antichristian,  is  rapidly  producing  a  class  China 
of  intelligent  objectors  to  the  Gospel.  Until  recently 
most  of  those  opposed  to  religion  were  ignorant,  and 
it  was  comparatively  easy  to  meet  their  difficulties. 
But  now  "  Science  without  Christianity  "  is  the  watch- 
word of  many  students.  The  aspiration  for  new 
learning  seems  to  be  fixing  the  minds  of  the  Chinese 
upon  the  materialistic  aspects  of  our  modern  civiliza- 


48 


DECISIVE  HOUR   OF  MISSIONS 


India's 

Educated 

Class 


Ground  for 
Apprehension 


tion.  They  accept  quickly  the  agnostic  explanations 
of  the  universe,  and  are  apt  to  receive  the  impression 
that  religion  is  not  necessary  to  the  life  of  a  nation. 
When  through  the  study  of  science  they  see  the  folly 
of  their  old  superstitions  they  will  give  them  up,  as 
they  are  by  nature  an  eminently  practical  people,  and, 
unless  influenced  by  Christianity,  will  be  apt  to  put 
nothing  in  their  place. 

The  Anglo-Indian  system  of  education  in  India  has 
afforded  a  degree  of  Western  culture  to  several  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  Indian  students.  In  its  higher 
grades  each  year  its  influence  is  being  brought  to  bear 
upon  scores  of  thousands.  The  members  of  this 
educated  class  will  affect  profoundly  the  future  of 
India,  forming  as  they  do  the  connecting  link  between 
the  British  rulers  and  the  mass  of  the  Indian  popula- 
tion, while  from  their  ranks  come  a  disproportionate 
number  of  the  great  army  of  officials  and  leaders  of 
popular  modern  thought.  They  are  exposed,  and  in 
most  cases  fall  victims  to  those  agnostic,  material- 
istic, and  antichristian  influences  which  come  from 
the  West. 

A  recent  writer  in  the  Church  Missionary  Review 
thus  emphasizes  the  peril  associated  with  the  modern 
education  now  being  afforded  Indian  youth.  "  We 
look  abroad  and  see  what  is  the  condition  of  those  na- 
tions where  religion  and  education  are  wholly  disso- 
ciated, and  mark  the  results.  As  Herbert  Spencer  has 
said,  '  The  growth  of  intellectualization  in  advance  of 
moralization  has  done  enormous  mischief.'  I  am  one 
of  those  who  believe  that  most  of  the  unrest  and  dis- 


CRITICAL  TENDENCIES  49 

content  in  India  arises  from  the  faults  of  our  purely 
secular  educational  system.  For,  be  it  remembered, 
while  there  is  no  religious  or  moral  teaching  at  the 
government  school,  there  is  none  in  the  home  either.'* 
Pandita  Ramabai  lays  equal  emphasis  on  the  same 
point  when  she  says:  "The  majority  of  the  higher 
classes  are  getting  Western  secular  education,  which 
is  undermining  their  faith  in  their  ancestral  religion. 
They  are  not  getting  anything  better  to  take  the  place 
of  the  old  religion  in  their  hearts,  and  are,  therefore, 
without  God,  without  hope,  without  Christ,  going  down 
socially  and  morally,  and  becoming  very  irreligious." 

In  all  these  countries,  therefore,  the  spread  of  Aspect  of 
secular  education,  with  all  the  good  that  it  is  doing,  has  Danger 
an  aspect  that  is  dangerous.  Being  devoid  of  all  re- 
ligious character,  it  inevitably  gives  the  false  impres- 
sion that  religion  is  not  a  necessary  part  of  life,  and 
when  men  find  that  the  old  religions  cannot  stand  the 
light  of  criticism,  they  naturally  are  content  to  have 
no  religion  at  all.  This  is  what  is  happening  to-day 
on  a  large  scale. 

Even  as  regards  the  many  who  are  being  driven  by  Activity  of 
their  new  learning,  not  to  close  their  minds  against  Non-Christian 
religion,  but  to  search  earnestly  for  a  new  religion 
more  adequate  than  the  old,  there  is  a  disquieting  ele- 
ment in  the  present  situation.  The  transition  to 
Christianity  is  not  so  natural  now  as  it  was  formerly. 
The  non-Christian  religions  are  recognizing  their  own 
inadequacy,  are  accordingly  attempting  to  adapt  them- 
selves to  the  new  conditions,  and  are  manifesting  in- 
creased activity,  enterprise,  and  aggressiveness.     Ef- 


Faiths 


50  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

forts  are  being  put  forth  to  regain  and  strengthen  their 
influence  over  classes  which  have  been  slipping  from 
their  grasp  and  to  extend  their  sway  over  peoples  who 
have  hitherto  not  been  reached  by  them.  These 
efforts  are.,  unfortunately,  succeeding  to  a  great  de- 
gree, and  many  are  being  thus  kept  away  from 
Christianity  who  were  open  to  receive  it. 
Revival  of  The  revival  of  Buddhism  is  particularly  noticeable 

Buddhism  m  Japan,  Burma,  and  Ceylon.     Temples  and  shrines 

have  been  renovated  in  some  districts,  and  the  priests 
are  manifesting  greater  activity.  Most  interesting  is 
the  semi-Christian  modification  of  the  methods  and 
practices  and  to  some  extent  the  ideas  of  Buddhism. 
There  are  regular  preaching-places  where  Buddhist 
preachers  now  expound  their  doctrines.  The  number 
of  Buddhist  schools  and  colleges  is  multiplying,  espe- 
cially in  Ceylon  and  Burma.  A  large  Buddhist  college 
has  been  planned  for  Tokyo.  Young  Men's  Buddhist 
Associations,  Young  Women's  Buddhist  Associations, 
and  Buddhist  Guilds  have  sprung  up  here  and  there. 
Special  work  has  been  inaugurated  on  behalf  of  chil- 
dren, such  as  Sunday  schools,  catechism  classes,  and 
religious  instruction  in  day-schools.  Some  Buddhist 
orphanages  have  been  established  to  prevent  destitute 
children  from  seeking  admission  into  Christian  institu- 
tions. The  press  is  also  being  largely  used.  Manuals 
of  instruction,  tracts,  pamphlets,  and  books  are  cir- 
culated in  large  numbers.  Better  training  is  being 
afforded  the  priests,  especially  in  Japan.  A  large 
Buddhist  theological  school  has  been  established  in 
Kyoto,  and  young  men  are  flocking  there   from  all 


CRITICAL  TENDENCIES  5 1 

quarters.  The  most  energetic  workers,  as  well  as  the 
most  generous  givers,  are  the  laymen.  The  most 
notable  fact,  however,  is  that  Buddhism  is  seeking,  not 
only  to  defend  itself  but  also  to  take  the  offensive  or 
aggressive  attitude. 

The  Japanese  Buddhists  have  organized  a  mis-  Forms  of 
sionary  society  and  have  sent  workers  even  to  the  Propaganda 
mainland  of  Asia.  The  Jodo  Sect  are  engaging  in 
an  evangelistic  movement  in  Japan  to  commemorate 
the  seven  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  founding 
of  their  sect.  In  Burma  the  Buddhists  are  being 
reinforced  by  many  converts  from  among  the  hill 
tribes.  It  is  reported  also  that  among  the  ad- 
herents of  Buddhism  in  Ceylon  and  Burma  are  several 
Europeans.  A  general  Buddhist  society  in  Rangoon  is 
raising  funds  for  the  translation  of  the  Pali  Buddhist 
scriptures  into  English,  for  spreading  Buddhism  in 
London,  and  for  bringing  out  from  England  a  number 
of  Englishmen  to  enter  the  Buddhist  priesthood.  The 
southern  part  of  the  island  of  Ceylon  is  Buddhist,  and 
while  Buddhism  there,  until  about  the  year  1880,  was 
comparatively  inert,  it  has  since  then  been  largely 
resuscitated.  Its  leaders  carry  on  an  aggressive 
propaganda.  They  imitate  Christian  phraseology, 
speaking,  for  example,  of  "  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Buddha,"  and  they  also  observe  Buddha's  birthday. 
Yet,  in  spite  of  all  the  activity,  the  introduction  of 
new  and  improved  methods,  and  the  development  of 
the  spirit  of  propagandism,  there  is  apparently  little 
serious  effort  made  to  purify  Buddhism  of  its  corrup- 
tions.    Rather  they  are  condoned  and  explained  away. 


52 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


New  Sects 
in  Japan 
and  China 


Modified 
Confucianism 


The  movement  is,  moreover,  decidedly  more  hostile  to 
Christianity  than  it  has  been  in  the  past,  representing 
Christianity  as  alien  and  Buddhism  as  national.  This 
attempt  to  identify  Buddhism  with  national  patriotism 
and  to  urge  upon  people  that  loyalty  to  the  country 
implies  loyalty  to  this  religion  is  undoubtedly  one  of 
the  most  serious  and  significant  aspects  of  the 
Buddhist  revival. 

Attention  should  be  called  to  many  new  sects  which 
are  springing  up  in  Japan  and  China.  In  Japan  in 
recent  years  a  new  religion  called  Tenrikyo  has  come 
into  vogue.  It  is  neither  avowedly  Buddhist  nor  ap- 
parently idolatrous.  There  seems  to  be  something 
attractive  about  it  to  the  common  people,  for  it  is 
claimed  that  it  already  has  between  three  and  four 
millions  of  adherents.  It  has  grown  so  rapidly  that 
lately  official  recognition  has  been  accorded  to  it  by 
the  Government.  The  growth  of  these  sects  is  a  sign 
of  the  unrest  among  the  people  and  of  their  religious 
longings. 

There  is  a  very  resolute  effort  being  made  by  many 
of  the  most  influential  men  in  China  to  exalt  Confu- 
cianism with  its  excellent  ethical  system  above  Chris- 
tianity, which  is  belittled  as  a  foreign  religion.  A 
comparatively  recent  edict  raised  Confucius  to  the 
rank  of  deity.  Hitherto  the  worship  of  Confucius  has 
been  regarded  as  paying  respect  to  the  teacher  par 
excellence — the  Sage  of  China,  but  he  is  now  exalted 
to  equal  rank  with  Heaven,  possibly  in  order  to  give 
him  a  place  corresponding  to  that  of  Jesus  Christ  in 
the  worship  of  the  West.     This  is  significant,  not  as 


CRITICAL  TENDENCIES  53 

indicative  of  an  increasing  influence  exerted  by  Con- 
fucius, but  rather  of  a  desire  to  conserve  the  influence 
manifestly  waning,  as  modern  learning  discloses  his 
superstitions  and  ignorance  of  fundamental  facts. 
According  to  imperial  edict,  divine  honors  are  to  be 
offered  to  him  by  officials  and  by  government  students. 
Without  this  adoration  of  Confucius  young  men  are 
not  permitted  to  study  in  schools  recognized  by  the 
Government,  and  are  excluded  from  holding  govern- 
ment offices.  Those  working  on  behalf  of  the  ed- 
ucated classes  find  that  their  principal  obstacle  is  this 
obligatory  adoration  of  Confucius  and  the  disabilities 
suffered  by  those  who  do  not  comply  with  the  require- 
ment. In  a  country  like  China  exclusion  from  the 
official  classes  is  regarded  as  a  very  serious  matter,  and 
until  this  obstacle  is  removed,  missionary  effort  on  be- 
half of  the  educated  classes  will  be  carried  on  under  a 
serious  handicap.  The  writings  of  Confucius  have  been 
translated  by  an  educated  Chinese  into  such  idiomatic 
English  that  they  are  attracting  the  attention  of  stu- 
dents and  scholars  as  never  before.  The  government 
schools  are  also  actively  promoting  the  study  and  ob- 
servance of  the  teachings  of  Confucius.  The  Rev.  G. 
H.  Bondfield  writes :  "  Without  question  attempts  will 
be  made  to  reconstruct  Chinese  thought  on  the  basis  of 
Confucian  teaching,  with  a  little  Western  science  and 
religion  thrown  in." 

Hinduism  is  manifesting  increased  antagonism  to   New  Methods 
Christianity.     In  different  parts  of  India  there  is   a   of  Hinduism 
revival  of  orthodox  Hinduism  as  contrasted  with  the 
Neo-Hindu  propaganda.     This  doubtless  means  more 


54 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


opposition,  and  yet  it  indicates,  too,  that  the  people  are 
getting  alarmed,  and  testifies  to  the  progress  which 
its  opponents  see  that  Christianity  is  making.  In  this 
light  the  revival  of  Hinduism  is  inevitable  and  desir- 
able. It  will  in  the  end  only  hasten  the  progress  of 
Christianity,  as  did  the  revival  of  paganism  in  the 
Roman  Empire.  Wherever  there  is  strong  opposition 
it  is  a  sign  that  the  minds  of  the  people  are  occupied 
with  the  subject,  and  this  enlarges  the  opportunity  for 
Christian  work.  The  Hindus,  like  the  Buddhists,  have 
been  quick  to  learn  Christian  methods  of  religious  prop- 
aganda, and  they  are  meeting  the  Christian  methods 
by  imitating  them  in  the  interests  of  their  own 
faith.  They  send  out  street  preachers  who  give  them- 
selves largely  to  opposing  Christianity,  rather  than  to 
promulgating  Hindu  doctrines.  They  have  a  tract 
society,  and  issue  many  publications.  They  have 
Young  Men's  Hindu  Associations  and  various  other 
organizations  formed  after  the  pattern  of  Christian 
activities.  That  they  have  become  alarmed  by  the 
inroads  of  Christianity  is  seen  from  the  following  ex- 
tract taken  from  a  pamphlet  issued  by  the  Hindu  Tract 
Society  and  designed  to  arouse  Hindus  to  sharper 
opposition :  "  Do  you  not  know  that  the  number  of  the 
Christians  is  increasing  and  the  number  of  Hindu  re- 
ligionists decreasing  every  day  ?  How  long  will  water 
remain  in  a  reservoir  which  continually  lets  out  but 
receives  none  in?  Let  all  the  people  join  as  one  man 
to  banish  Christianity  from  our  land."  One  of  the 
best  indications  of  the  new  spirit  of  the  Hindus  is  the 
aggressive  efforts  which  they  are  putting  forth  to  in- 


CRITICAL  TENDENCIES  55 

fluence  the  outcastes.  They  are  trying  to  raise  the 
downtrodden  classes  and  to  give  to  them  a  certain 
definite  standing  in  the  Hindu  community.  Among 
the  Namasudras,  a  tribe  in  Eastern  Bengal  two  million 
strong,  a  social  ferment  is  in  progress  and  the  Hindus 
as  well  as  the  workers  of  other  religions  are  hoping  for 
large  accessions  from  the  movement.  The  Santals,  a 
large  aboriginal  tribe,  are  also  in  a  state  of  transition, 
and  are  especially  influenced  by  the  Hindus.  It  is 
said  that  they  are  adopting  the  worst  elements  of 
Hindu  life  and  religion;  the  lower  form  of  Hindu- 
ism, with  the  worship  of  Durga,  Kali,  and  Siva,  with 
its  sensuality  and  dishonesty,  is  creeping  in.  The 
Hindus  are  also  seeking  to  influence  the  aboriginal 
tribes  in  the  hill  districts,  and  there  is  danger  that  the 
Sikhs  may  lapse  into  Hinduism.  It  is  a  further  in- 
teresting and  striking  fact,  that  even  as  far  away  as 
the  Fiji  Islands,  the  Hindus,  who  are  working  on  the 
plantations,  are  bringing  an  assimilating  influence  to 
bear  upon  the  aboriginal  inhabitants. 

The  ferment  which  Christianity  has  created  among  Forms  of 
the  educated  classes  of  India  is  apparent  even  on  the  Neo-Hindu- 
surface,  but  one  of  the  most  marked  tendencies  may  be  lsm 
discerned  in  those  schools   of  Neo-Hinduism  which 
have  developed    during  the  last    few   decades.     The 
most  important  of  these  are  the  Arya  Somaj,  chiefly 
in  the  Punjab  and  the  United  Provinces;  the  Brahmo 
Somaj,   in   Bengal;  the   Theosophists,   principally   in 
Southern  India;  and  the  Radha  Swamis,  in  Northern 
India.     They  differ  in  many  respects,  but  they  are 
alike  in  that  they  have  all  been  influenced  by  Chris- 


56  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

tianity  and  have  adopted  many  Christian  expressions 
and  methods,  and  that  they  all  magnify  certain  points 
of  Hinduism.  Chief  among  these  movements  in  point 
of  activity  and  influence  is  the  Arya  Somaj.  While  its 
leaders  may  condemn  the  practices  of  Hinduism  and 
may  adopt  many  of  the  principles  and  teachings  and 
methods  of  Christianity,  they  still  remain  within  the 
pale  of  Hinduism  and  earnestly  oppose  the  Christian 
movement.  This  movement  has  grown  rapidly  and  has 
schools  and  colleges,  missionaries  and  societies.  They 
advocate  the  education  of  women,  reject  idolatry,  and 
seek  to  reduce  the  number  of  castes.  Though  re- 
morseless in  their  antagonism  to  Christianity,  they 
mark  a  distinct  advance  upon  popular  Hinduism,  and, 
in  the  judgment  of  many  missionaries,  are  preparing 
the  way  of  the  Lord.  The  Rev.  W.  E.  S.  Holland,  the 
leader  of  the  Oxford  and  Cambridge  Hostel  at  Allaha- 
bad, expresses  this  well :  "  The  ideas  which  the  Arya 
Somaj  raises  without  ability  to  satisfy  them,  and  the 
manifest  contradictions  of  its  system,  mean  a  not  re- 
mote collapse  into  the  arms  of  Christianity." 

The  Rev.  Herbert  Anderson,  however,  in  writing 
regarding  these  efforts  to  revive  or  adapt  the  Indian 
religions,  gives  expression  to  the  opposite  point  of 
view  when  he  says :  "  There  is  no  greater  danger  to  the 
success  of  our  enterprise  than  the  desire  of  the  leaders 
of  non-Christian  faiths  to  assimilate  Christian  truth 
and  claim  Christ  for  their  own  systems — an  addition 
that  can  be  made  without  radically  altering  the  creed 
or  conduct  of  those  who  accept  Him."  They  are  just 
now  putting  forth  great  efforts  to  influence  the  low 


CRITICAL  TENDENCIES  57 

caste  people.  They  do  not  really  give  them  any  new 
religion,  but  they  fill  their  minds  with  prejudices 
against  the  foreigners,  and  strive  on  patriotic  grounds 
to  keep  the  people  in  subjection  to  Hinduism.  If  they 
succeed  in  convincing  these  outcaste  portions  of  the 
population  that  they  may  hope  for  recognition  from 
the  Hindus,  the  attraction  of  Hinduism  will  be  too 
strong  for  them  to  resist,  and  the  door  of  Christian 
opportunity  will  close. 

Of  all  the  non-Christian  religions,  Mohammedanism  Moslem 
exhibits  the  greatest  solidarity  and  the  most  activity  Plans 
and  aggressiveness,  and  is  conducting  a  more  wide- 
spread propaganda  at  the  present  time  than  any  other 
religion  save  Christianity.  In  the  Turkish  Empire 
there  has  recently  been  a  recrudescence  of  Moslem 
fanaticism.  The  forces  that  brought  about  the  reac- 
tionary events  of  the  spring  of  1909,  and  that  were 
responsible  for  the  Cilician  massacres  were  grouped 
under  a  so-called  Mohammedan  League.  This  league 
is  intensely  antagonistic  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel 
among  the  Moslems,  and  under  it  the  bigoted  are  be- 
coming more  bigoted.  It  was  intended  by  Abdul 
Hamid  to  intensify  Moslem  fanaticism  and  hatred  of 
Christians,  and  its  members,  though  now  in  hiding, 
form  the  body  of  the  old  orthodox  party  who  look 
down  with  scorn  upon  all  other  sects.  Islam  is  link- 
ing itself  with  the  atheism  and  deism  of  Western 
lands,  and  is  securing  much  protection  and  also 
added  prestige  by  the  support  it  receives  at  the  hands 
of  officials  from  the  West  who  have  broken  with 
Christianity.     These  men  carry  over  to  the  Moslem 


58 


DECISIVE  HOUR   OF  MISSIONS 


Efforts  in 
India  and 
China 


camp    all   the    armory    of    the    deistic    and    atheistic 
schools. 

In  India,  the  country  having  the  largest  Moham- 
medan population,  there  is  a  renaissance  of  Islam. 
The  power  of  the  Prophet  is  still  great,  and  Islam  is 
ready  to  receive  and  seal  perpetually,  as  her  own, 
Hindus  of  low  caste  who  lose  faith  in  their  own  re- 
ligion or  seek  to  better  their  condition.  They  are 
pushing  their  propaganda,  sending  out  preachers  and 
working  hard  to  convert  the  low  caste  and  outcaste 
people.  In  some  parts  of  the  country  large  bodies  of 
these  depressed  classes  and  also  numbers  of  the  hill 
tribes  have  gone  over  to  Islam.  Their  advance  in 
India  is  proved  by  an  increase  in  the  Mohammedan 
population  in  India  of  about  six  millions  in  the 
ten  years  preceding  the  last  census.  Dr.  J.  C.  R. 
Ewing  of  Lahore  expresses  the  belief  that  unless  the 
Church  avails  itself  of  the  marvelous  opportunity  now 
presented  by  the  tens  of  millions  of  low  caste  people, 
within  the  next  ten  years  the  bulk  of  those  who  have 
not  been  given  a  status  in  relation  to  the  Hindus,  will 
have  become  Mohammedan.  While  there  is  no  seri- 
ous danger  that  China  will  become  a  Moslem  state, 
Mohammedanism  is  there  also  manifesting  fresh 
interest  and  vigor.  By  correspondence  the  mullahs 
are  kept  in  touch  with  the  political  and  religious 
movements  of  the  world  of  Islam,  and  by  the  visits 
of  Moslem  missionaries  from  Arabia  and  elsewhere, 
efforts  are  constantly  made  to  revive  the  faith.  More- 
over, in  other  parts  of  China,  in  Chihli,  for  example, 
there  are  similar  indications  of  activity. 


Malays 


CRITICAL  TENDENCIES  59 

The  Moslems  of  Russia  are  showing  great  zeal.  Awakening 
There  are  indications  that  the  Pan-Islamic  movement  m  Russia 
has  reached  Bokhara  and  Kabul,  as  well  as  Orenburg 
and  Tiflis.  Not  only  is  there  discussion  of  social 
reform  in  the  Moslem  press  of  Russia,  but  the  Tartar 
paper,  Terjuman,  recently  contained  a  proposition 
calling  for  a  Pan-Islamic  Congress  to  discuss  the 
reformation  of  Islam. 

In  the  East  Indies,  Islam,  which  for  a  long  time  was  Moslem 
but  a  mere  veneer,  is  daily  becoming  a  more  pervasive  Advance 
and  dominant  faith.  It  is  advancing  rapidly  and  per-  ^J10112 
sistently,  absorbing  step  by  step  the  existing  remnants 
of  heathenism.  Greatly  increased  travel  to  Mecca, 
brought  about  by  better  means  of  communication  and 
lower  rates,  is  establishing  Mohammedanism  among 
the  Malays.  The  returned  pilgrims  become  henceforth 
ardent  defenders  and  propagators  of  the  faith.  In 
Sumatra,  Islam  is  advancing  into  hitherto  pagan  terri- 
tories, and  unless  the  Church  promptly  does  more  to 
meet  the  desire  for  education  and  enlightenment,  there 
is  danger  that  the  population  will  more  and  more  accept 
Mohammedanism.  In  Java,  Mohammedanism  shows 
new  life  in  the  establishment  of  a  Moslem  university, 
and  in  the  production  of  an  edition  of  the  Koran  in 
Javanese.  The  intercourse  between  Java  and  Mecca 
is  extremely  active,  thousands  of  Javanese  annually 
making  the  pilgrimage.  The  number  of  teachers  of 
the  Koran  is  multiplying  greatly.  Not  less  than  20,000 
Arabs  are  carrying  on  an  effective  and  profitable  prop- 
aganda in  the  East  Indies  as  teachers  of  Islam.  The 
inhabitants  are  coming  more  and  more  under  the  influ- 


6o 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Its  Outlook 
in  Africa 


Rivals  for 
the  Dark 
Continent 


ence  of  Mohammedanism,  and  are  thus  being  made 
less  accessible  to  the  work  of  the  Dutch  missionaries. 
The  same  great  movement  is  in  process  in  Celebes,  New 
Guinea,  the  Philippines,  and  other  islands  and  groups 
of  islands. 

Two  forces  are  contending  for  Africa — Christianity 
and  Mohammedanism.  In  many  respects  the  more 
aggressive  is  Mohammedanism.  It  dominates  Africa 
on  its  western  half  as  far  south  as  io°  N.  lati- 
tude, and  on  its  eastern  half,  as  far  south  as  50  N.; 
and  it  is  ever  pushing  its  conquests  beyond  its  own  ter- 
ritory, not  only  down  the  East  Coast  but  also  into  the 
interior  and  to  the  tribes  on  the  West  Coast.  If  things 
continue  as  they  are  now  tending,  Africa  may  become 
a  Mohammedan  continent.  Mohammedanism  comes 
to  the  African  people  as  a  higher  religion  than  their 
own,  with  the  dignity  of  an  apparently  higher  civiliza- 
tion and  of  world  power.  It  is  rapidly  received  bv 
these  eager  listeners.  Once  received,  it  is  Christianity's 
most  formidable  enemy.  It  permits  a  laxity  of  morals, 
in  some  cases  worse  than  that  of  heathendom.  It  sanc- 
tions polygamy.  It  breeds  pride  and  arrogance,  and 
thus  hardens  the  heart  against  the  Word  of  God.  It 
is  spread  by  those  who  do  not  differ  essentially  from 
the  natives  in  their  ideas  and  customs,  whereas 
Christianity,  until  a  force  of  native  workers  can  be 
prepared,  must  be  spread  by  Europeans  who  differ 
greatly  from  the  natives. 

The  absorption  of  native  races  into  Islam  is  proceed- 
ing rapidly  and  continuously  in  practically  all  parts  of 
the  continent.     Convincing  evidence  of  this  fact  has 


CRITICAL  TENDENCIES  6l 

been  presented  by  missionaries  along  the  Nile,  in  East 
Central  Africa,  in  Southeast  Africa,  on  different  parts 
of  the  West  Coast,  in  Northern  Nigeria,  in  the  Sudan, 
in  different  parts  of  the  Congo  Basin,  in  parts  lying 
south  of  the  Congo,  and  even  in  South  Africa.  Mo- 
hammedan traders  are  finding  their  way  into  the 
remotest  parts  of  the  continent,  and  it  is  well  known 
that  every  Mohammedan  trader  is  more  or  less  a 
Mohammedan  missionary.  Wherever  a  Mohamme- 
dan penetrates,  he  makes  converts  to  Islam.  Pagan- 
ism is  doomed.  As  has  been  said  above,  animistic 
faiths  crumble  quickly  before  any  higher  and  more 
dogmatic  religion.  Either  Christianity  or  Islam  will 
prevail  throughout  Africa,  and  Islam  is  pushing  hard 
to  win  the  pagan  states  and  peoples. 

This  remarkable  and  widespread  activity  in  all  the  Christianity 
non-Christian  religions  is  the  direct  counterpart  of  the  Seen  *°  be 
activity  in  the  political  sphere.  It  is  due  to  the  growth  uPenor 
of  the  conviction  that  if  the  old  faiths  are  to  hold  the 
place  which  they  have  hitherto  held  in  the  allegiance  of 
their  adherents,  they  must  bestir  themselves  and  adopt 
new  methods.  It  is  being  freely  recognized  further, 
that  Christianity  has  many  advantages  which  enable  it 
to  meet  with  greater  confidence  and  effectiveness  the 
influence  of  modern  education,  and  an  effort  is  being 
made  almost  everywhere — even  within  Mohammedan- 
ism— to  adopt  certain  features  of  Christianity  which, 
when  added  to  the  other  religions,  will,  it  is  hoped,  give 
to  them  the  same  power.  This  readiness  to  alter  is 
itself  a  confession  of  weakness  and  may  well  be  read 
as  a  prophecy  of  the  complete  surrender  to  Christian 


62  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

truth.  All  of  them,  in  spite  of  their  bitter  opposition  to 
it,  are  being  made  to  feel  the  power  of  Christianity, 
and  what  modifications  have  been  introduced  are  a 
tacit  recognition  of  the  superiority  with  which  Chris- 
tianity is  endowed. 
Large  Present  None  of  the  movements  which  we  have  been  consid- 
Opportunities  ering  can  ^e  contemplated  by  the  Church  with  a  quiet 
mind,  for  each  of  them,  contains  a  menace  to  Christian 
progress.  Moreover,  who  is  to  blame  for  the  evil 
influences  that  go  out  from  cur  Christian  lands,  if  it 
be  not  the  Church  of  Christ  ?  What  it  has  failed  to  do 
in  the  past  it  should  seek  to  do  now.  There  are  still 
great  regions  and  countless  communities  to  which  the 
vices  and  diseases  of  corrupt  civilization  have  not  yet 
spread,  and  unmistakably  it  is  the  will  of  God  that  the 
missionary  movement  be  extended  promptly  and  far 
more  aggressively  and  widely  that  Christianity  may 
give  the  people  strength  to  stand  against  the  tempta- 
tions that  are  certain  to  attack  them.  The  large  plans 
for  the  extension  of  railway  systems  in  different  parts 
of  Asia  and  Africa  accentuate  the  urgency  of  the  situa- 
tion, because  the  advent  of  railways  will  bring  an 
influx  of  ungodly  men  who  will  quickly  make  the  task 
of  evangelization  much  more  difficult.  In  this  respect 
the  present  is  an  opportunity  which  will  soon  pass 
away.  Every  year  will  bring  new  and  powerful 
counter  attractions  within  easy  reach  of  the  natives. 
It  is  much  easier  to  bring  the  Gospel  to  bear  on  a 
heathen  in  his  natural  state  than  upon  the  man  who 
has  become  familiar  with  the  worst  side  of  the  so- 
called  Christian  civilization. 


CRITICAL  TENDENCIES  63 

Equally  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Church   to  make  a   Influence  of 
supreme  effort  to  Christianize  more  largely  the  impact   Christian 
of  Christendom  upon  the   non-Christian  world.     To      atlons 
this  end  more  adequate  efforts  are  required  not  only  to 
surround  the  representatives  of  our  commerce   and 
industries  with  strong  Christian  influences  as  they  go 
forth  to  reside  in  distant  port  cities,  but  also  to  make 
sure  that  the  principles   and   spirit  of    Jesus   Christ 
dominate    all    our    social,    commercial,    political,    and 
international  relations  with  the  peoples  and  govern- 
ments   of    non-Christian    nations.      The    missionary 
forces  cannot  win  the  non-Christian  world  for  Christ 
until  Christian  nations  and  all  their  influences  are  more 
thoroughly  permeated  with  the  spirit  of  Christ. 

As  regards  the  advance  of  education  the  duty  of  the   Need  of 

Church  is,  if  possible,  still  greater.     The  development  Christian 

of  moral  and  religious  education  is  rightly  held  to  be   Schools  an^ 

Teachers 
one  of  the  most  pressing  problems  in  the  West.     This 

is  in  spite  of  the  facts  that  we  already  have  the  assist- 
ance of  the  Christian  Church  and  the  Christian  home 
and  of  much  organized  Christian  work  for  students, 
that  the  great  bulk  of  our  teachers  are  professing 
Christians  and  many  of  them  active  Christian 
workers,  that  our  literature  is  penetrated  with  the 
Christian  spirit  and  our  whole  civilization  founded 
on  Christian  presuppositions.  None  of  these  aids 
are  present  in  the  East,  except  as  they  have  been 
supplied  by  the  meager  force  of  missionaries.  The 
scientific  and  utilitarian  side  of  our  education  is 
far  more  easily  appreciated  by  the  Oriental  at  the 
present    time    than    its    moral    and    idealistic    side. 


64  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

The  scientific  temper,  as  he  catches  it,  is  apt  to  shear 
him  at  the  same  time  of  his  superstition  and  his 
reverence.  The  scientific  explanation  of  the  universe 
is  so  precise  and  perfect  as  compared  with  his  grand- 
mother's myths,  that  he  cannot  see  its  limitations, 
moreover,  it  fits  in  well  with  his  bent  towards  fatalism 
and  unspirituality.  If,  therefore,  moral  education  is  a 
need  in  the  West,  what  word  can  we  find  to  express  its 
absolute  indispensableness  for  the  East  ?  The  only  way 
to  prevent  education  from  producing  agnosticism  and 
materialism  is  to  give  education  of  a  Christian  charac- 
ter. The  Christian  Church  cannot  permit  these  vast 
masses  who  are  eagerly  demanding  Western  learning 
thus  to  be  turned  against  itself.  Rather  is  it  a  duty  to 
realize  the  present  as  a  call  and  a  special  opportunity 
for  advancing  Christ's  Kingdom.  The  difficulty  which 
the  Chinese  Government  is  experiencing  in  securing  a 
sufficient  number  of  competent  teachers  is  common 
also  to  other  lands  and  affords  a  great  opening  to 
Christian  schools  and  colleges.  There  should  be  a 
great  expansion  of  Christian  educational  missions.  It 
is  Western  education  that  the  Chinese  are  Clamoring 
for,  and  will  have.  If  the  Church  can  give  it  to 
them,  plus  Christianity,  they  will  take  it;  otherwise 
they  will  get  it  elsewhere,  without  Christianity — and 
that  speedily.  If  in  addition  to  direct  evangelistic 
and  philanthropic  work  in  China,  the  Church  can  in 
the  next  decade  train  several  thousands  of  Christian 
teachers,  it  will  be  in  a  position  to  meet  this  unparal- 
leled opportunity.  In  India,  too,  the  crisis  calls  for  a 
greatly  increased  number  of  efficient  mission  schools 


u 


o 

— 

O 


g     1 

?   .5 

SI 

<         CvJ 


O      u 


CRITICAL  TENDENCIES  65 

and  colleges,  manned  with  thoroughly  qualified  and 
earnest  Christian  teachers,  and  conducted  so  far  as 
possible  on  the  residential  plan,  with  the  view  to  giving 
the  Spirit  of  God  as  carefully  prepared  an  opportunity 
as  possible.  The  unrest  of  the  educated  classes  calls 
not  only  for  a  strengthening  of  the  missionary  institu- 
tions, especially  in  the  direction  of  making  their  Chris- 
tian influence  more  effective,  but  also  for  a  multiplica- 
tion at  student  centers  of  wisely  planned  efforts 
directed  to  influence  those  of  the  educated  class  after 
leaving  college  as  well  as  the  students  now  in  non-mis- 
sionary colleges.  If  Christians  do  not  rise  to  the 
occasion,  educated  Hindus  and  Mohammedans  will 
take  things  into  their  own  hands  and  will  establish 
educational  and  philanthropic  institutions  to  be  car- 
ried on  under  non-Christian  management. 

The  renewed  activity  of  the  non-Christian  religions  Urgency  of 
further  emphasizes  the  duty  of  the  Church  at  this  time.  the  Crisis 
Some  missionary  statesmen  believe  that  Africa  (be- 
cause of  the  ease  with  which  the  pagan  religions  yield 
to  the  first  attacks  of  any  higher  faith)  for  the  present 
has  a  pre-eminent  claim  on  the  attention  and  resources 
of  those  missionary  societies  which  are  related  to  the 
regions  in  which  Moslem  advance  is  imminent.  The 
aboriginal  population  and  the  outcastes  of  India,  as 
well  as  animists  in  other  regions,  likewise  present  an 
urgent  claim.  If  Christian  work  for  these  depressed 
classes  could  soon  be  multiplied  many  fold,  multitudes 
of  people  would  embrace  Christianity  within  a  genera- 
tion. Unless  the  advance  which  non-Christian  reli- 
gions are  making  is  met  and  counteracted,  the  Christian 


66  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

missionary  enterprise  will  be  increasingly  handicapped. 
Mohammedanism  and  Hinduism  are  both  competing 
with  Christianity  for  the  adherence  of  many  peoples. 
Surely  with  such  a  crisis  impending,  it  is  the  duty  of 
the  Church,  as  it  is  the  call  of  God,  to  renew  its 
energies  and  whole-heartedly  to  advance. 


THE   RISING   SPIRITUAL  TIDE   IN 
THE   NON-CHRISTIAN   WORLD 


CHAPTER    III 

THE    RISING    SPIRITUAL    TIDE    IN    THE    NON-CHRISTIAN 
WORLD 

When  the  conditions  throughout  the  non-Christian  Ground  for 
world  inviting  a  comprehensive  advance  are  consid-  Confidence 
ered,  as  well  as  the  serious  obstacles  and  critical  tenden- 
cies which  threaten  the  progress  of  Christianity,  both 
the  urgency  and  the  difficulty  of  the  task  seem  over- 
whelming, if  not  depressing ;  but  a  survey  of  recent  tri- 
umphs and  of  the  present-day  working  of  the  Christian 
forces  in  non-Christian  lands,  affords  abundant  ground 
for  hopefulness  and  confidence.  In  the  great  battle  of 
Mukden,  with  a  frontage  of  many  miles,  a  certain 
regiment  or  division  of  the  Japanese  army,  hard 
pressed  at  times  by  the  enemy,  might  have  feared  that 
defeat  was  impending;  but  the  general  in  charge  of  the 
Japanese  operations,  in  touch  with  the  whole  line  by 
means  of  wireless  telegraphy  and  other  appliances  of 
the  modern  signaling  corps,  knew  well  that,  taking  the 
battle  as  a  whole,  victory  was  assured.  So  on  the 
world-wide  battlefield  of  Christianity,  while  there  are 
apparent  discouragements  in  some  parts  of  the  field, 
and  while  certain  divisions  of  the  Christian  forces  are 
being  hard  pressed  by  the  forces  that  oppose,  taking 
the  world  as  a  whole,  victory  is  assured  if  the  present 
campaign  be  adequately  supported  and  pressed. 

69 


70 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Position  Won         It  seems  incredible  that  within  the  lifetime  of  many 
in  Japan  n0w  living  there   were  placed   in   different  parts   of 

Japan  edict  boards  on  which  were  official  announce- 
ments offering  rewards  for  the  apprehension  of  per- 
sons found  either  professing  or  propagating  the  Chris- 
tian faith.  In  contrast,  one  finds  to-day  a  Japanese 
Protestant  Christian  community  numbering  fully 
70,000  communicants.  In  addition,  the  Eastern  or 
Greek  Church  numbers  30,000,  and  the  members  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  number  60,000.  If  the  num- 
ber of  adherents  be  taken  into  account  the  number  of 
Christians  connected  with  these  three  great  sections  of 
the  Christian  Church  must  considerably  exceed  one- 
quarter  of  a  million.  There  has  been  an  increase  of 
seventy  per  cent,  in  the  number  of  Protestant  Church 
members  during  the  last  decade.  Moreover,  Chris- 
tianity in  Japan  began  with  the  Samurai  or  knightly 
class,  so  that  its  influence  is  a  hundredfold  greater  than 
its  statistical  strength.  When  the  best  educated  men 
of  the  nation  speak  regarding  the  religions  of  the  coun- 
try, Buddhism  and  Christianity,  if  they  discriminate 
in  favor  of  either  religion  it  is  always  in  favor  of 
Christianity,  because  of  its  high  character  and  trans- 
forming influence,  although  the  number  of  adherents 
of  Buddhism  reaches  into  tens  of  millions,  while  the 
number  of  adherents  of  Christianity  includes  only  tens 
of  thousands.  In  the  present  Japanese  Parliament 
twelve  members  of  three  hundred  and  eighty  are  Chris- 
tians, or  nearly  twice  as  many  as  in  the  last  Parlia- 
ment. An  investigation  has  shown  that  the  ratio  of 
Christians   to  the  total   number   of   students   in    the 


RISING  SPIRITUAL  TIDE  7 1 

higher  institutions  of  the  great  government  school 
system  of  Japan  is  over  thirty  times  as  great  as  the 
proportion  of  Christian  young  men  to  the  total  number 
of  young  men  in  the  country,  and  this  ratio  has  steadily 
increased  during  the  present  generation.  Facts  like 
these  show  that  Christianity  has  won  a  place  of  great 
and  growing  influence  among  the  educated  and  influen- 
tial classes  of  the  nation.  A  further  illustration  was 
the  gift  by  the  Emperor  of  $5000  toward  the  work 
carried  on  by  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
on  behalf  of  the  soldiers  in  the  recent  war. 

In  the  recent  past,  several  of  the  Christian  bodies  at  Results  in 
work  in  Japan  have  had  encouraging  results  in  con-  Conversions 
versions.  In  some  parts  of  the  country  there  have 
been  revivals ;  notable  among  these  was  the  Taikyo 
Dendo,  a  spiritual  awakening  which  swept  through  the 
Japanese  Islands  a  few  years  ago,  and  was  promoted  by 
the  united  efforts  of  practically  all  of  the  Christian 
workers  in  the  country.  Under  its  influence  thousands 
of  people  were  converted.  Still  more  recently  there 
have  been  conducted  the  so-called  concentration  evan- 
gelistic campaigns,  waged  largely  by  the  Japanese  work- 
ers themselves.  One  of  the  best  examples  of  these  is  the 
revival  which  has  taken  place  during  the  present  year, 
1910,  in  the  commercial  metropolis,  Osaka.  Workers 
representing  forty-two  churches  and  preaching-places 
united,  and  104  speakers  participated.  Each  of  the 
large  mass  meetings  was  attended  by  over  2000,  and 
the  church  services  throughout  the  city  were  crowded, 
day  after  day.  Over  1300  persons  registered  as  inquir- 
ers or  as  applicants  for  baptism,  a  number  equal  to 


War  Time 


72  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

one-third  of  the  total  church  membership  of  the  city. 
On  one  Sunday  in  March,  1910,  355  of  the  converts 
were  baptized  in  connection  with  the  churches  of  one 
communion  alone.  This  awakening  is  directly  trace- 
able to  united  intercession,  and  to  loyal  and  unselfish 
co-operative  effort  on  the  part  of  all  the  workers  of 
the  different  churches. 
Christian  The  Christian  work  carried  on  among  the  750,000 

^orkrpJn  Japanese  soldiers  in  Manchuria  by  the  Young  Men's 

Christian  Association  movement,  was  one  of  the  most 
successful  efforts  of  its  kind  ever  conducted  in  any 
country.  In  accordance  with  the  desire  of  the  War 
Department  of  the  Japanese  Government,  this  move- 
ment was  regarded  as  the  exponent  of  all  the  Christian 
forces  of  Japan,  and  was  accorded  permission  to  min- 
ister to  the  comfort  of  the  soldiers.  All  through  the 
campaign  the  Government  granted  special  privileges 
to  those  engaged  in  this  service.  The  work  was  placed 
in  charge  of  experienced  secretaries,  both  Japanese 
and  foreign,  and  some  of  the  missions  also  allocated 
able  missionaries  to  co-operate.  Assistance  was  ren- 
dered the  soldiers  both  before  leaving  Japan  and  after 
they  reached  the  seat  of  war,  as  well  as  on  the  trans- 
ports, but  the  principal  service  was  performed  in  Man- 
churia. There  buildings  and  tents  were  secured  which 
were  constantly  thronged  with  soldiers  who  came  to 
avail  themselves  of  the  various  privileges  afforded  by 
the  Association.  Opportunities  were  offered  for  read- 
ing Japanese  papers  and  other  literature,  stereopticon 
exhibitions  were  given,  facilities  for  correspondence 
were  afforded,  and  millions  of  letters  and  post-cards 


RISING   SPIRITUAL  TIDE 


73 


were  written  and  posted  by  the  soldiers,  who  thereby 
conveyed  to  the  people  in  countless  cities  and  villages 
in  Japan  the  information  as  to  the  service  which  a 
Christian  organization  was  rendering  them.  Day  by 
day,  not  only  in  these  buildings  and  tents,  but  also  on 
the  railway  trains  and  in  the  hospitals,  evangelistic 
addresses  and  appeals  were  made  to  the  throngs  of 
soldiers,  who,  solemnized  by  the  impending  dangers, 
were  peculiarly  responsive  to  messages  concerning  the 
religious  life.  Missionaries  have  said  that  in  this 
campaign  the  Gospel  was  preached  with  fulness  and 
power  by  the  few  scores  of  workers  to  more  of  the 
aggressive  classes  of  Japanese  men  than  were  reached 
during  the  same  period  by  the  hundreds  of  mission- 
aries working  in  Japan  itself.  With  the  co-operation 
of  the  Bible  Societies  the  Gospels  were  widely  circu- 
lated among  the  troops.  Although  accurate  statistics 
have  not  been  gathered,  large  numbers  of  men  were 
converted  as  a  result  of  the  efforts  put  forth  on  their 
behalf.  The  attitude  of  many  officers  was  changed 
from  one  of  hostility  or  indifference  to  that  of 
outspoken  sympathy.  Since  the  war  it  has  been  found 
that  the  practical  helpfulness  of  this  campaign  and  of 
the  ministration  of  Christian  workers  in  hospitals,  has 
served  to  commend  the  cause  of  Christianity  to  the 
families  and  friends  of  many  of  the  soldiers,  and  to 
open  doors  for  Christian  effort  and  influence  in  all 
parts  of  Japan. 

The  evangelistic  mission  carried  on  by  the  Christian 
Student  Movement  of  Japan  in  connection  with  the 
Conference  of  the  World's  Student  Christian  Federa- 


Special 

Evangelistic 

Missions 


74 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Social  Uplift 
and  Tendency 
towards 
Christianity 


tion,  held  in  Tokyo  in  1907,  was  also  a  remarkably 
fruitful  spiritual  effort.  During  the  three  weeks  this 
mission  was  in  progress  the  claims  of  Christ  were 
presented  to  tens  of  thousands  of  government  stu- 
dents and  schoolboys  in  all  the  student  communi- 
ties of  Japan,  resulting  in  three  thousand  becoming 
Christian  inquirers.  Christianity  is  making  great  ad- 
vance, not  only  among  the  educated  and  influential 
classes  of  the  country  but  also  among  those  at  the 
other  end  of  the  social  scale.  This  is  well  illustrated 
by  the  account  of  the  recent  revival  in  the  Tokachi 
Prison,  in  the  Hokkaido,  as  given  in  an  illustrated  pam- 
phlet entitled,  "  How  the  Holy  Spirit  came  to  the  Hok- 
kaido, Japan."  It  is  a  thrilling  story  of  a  modern 
Pentecost. 

To  such  facts  should  be  added,  what  some  regard 
as  the  most  striking  evidence  of  the  work  and  power 
of  God  in  Japan — the  spread  of  Christian  teachings 
and  ideals  and  their  influence  upon  social  life  and 
practices.  This  is  revealed  in  the  movement  led  by 
Christians  which  resulted  in  releasing  thousands  of  the 
inmates  of  the  brothels,  in  the  effective  temperance 
crusade,  and  in  the  establishment  of  many  benevolent 
institutions,  such  as  the  famous  Ishii  orphanages.  A 
very  general  dissatisfaction  with  the  old  religions  exists 
throughout  the  land.  Shintoism  is  no  longer  classified 
as  a  religion  by  the  Government,  but  merely  as  a  patri- 
otic association  for  preserving  the  memory  of  ancestors. 
Notwithstanding  what  has  been  stated  regarding  the 
revival  of  Buddhism  in  certain  sections,  the  fact  re- 
mains that  in  parts  of  Japan  it  is  losing  its  hold  on  its 


RISING  SPIRITUAL  TIDE  75 

adherents.  There  are  many  and  multiplying  instances 
where  the  people  have  abolished  idols  and  forsaken 
the  temples,  although  they  may  not  yet  have  accepted 
some  other  religion  as  a  substitute.  In  the  cities  Bud- 
dhism has  far  less  influence,  even  with  the  illiterate 
classes,  than  it  has  in  the  rural  districts.  It  has  little 
power  over  the  people,  and  ethically  and  religiously 
its  recent  influence  has  not  contributed  to  the  higher 
life  of  Japan  or  China.  There  are  few  educated  men 
who  profess  belief  in  Buddhism  as  a  regulative,  trans- 
forming, and  energizing  influence  in  their  lives.  They 
are  realizing  that  it  is  lacking  in  both  spiritual  and 
moral  power.  So  much  is  this  the  case  that  an  en- 
deavor has  been  made  in  the  schools  to  give  moral 
education  apart  altogether  from  religion,  but  the  fail- 
ure of  this  also  is  being  recognized.  The  late  Mr. 
Fukuzawa,  a  leader  of  thought  in  Japan,  though  him- 
self an  agnostic,  said,  before  his  death,  that  he  had  felt 
it  "  a  great  loss  that  he  had  lived  his  life  without 
religion,  and  that  he  would  recommend  Christianity  to 
his  friends  without  any  hesitation,"  and  it  is  said  that 
to-day  "  there  is  among  the  leaders  of  the  nation  a 
large  party  composed  of  men  who  are  thoroughly  dis- 
satisfied with  the  present  outlook,  even  alarmed  at  it; 
and,  though  not  themselves  necessarily  Christians, 
would  gladly  see  their  country  adopt  the  faith."  The 
spread  of  this  conviction,  that  Christianity  alone  can 
provide  an  adequate  basis  for  individual  and  national 
life,  is  surely  preparing  the  way  for  a  general  accept- 
ance of  Christianity  throughout  Japan  and  for  giving 
it  a  position  of  large  influence. 


76 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Korean 

Christian 

Movement 


Bible  Study 
and  Prayer 


On  Christmas  Day,  1887,  three  years  after  the  first 
missionaries  entered  Korea,  seven  baptized  Christians 
in  Seoul  united  behind  closed  doors  in  the  first  celebra- 
tion of  the  Holy  Communion.  To-day  that  interesting 
land  is  wide  open  to  the  Christian  Gospel.  There  are 
now,  including  those  under  instruction  for  church 
membership,  fully  200,000  Koreans  who  acknowledge 
Jesus  Christ  as  Lord,  and  the  number  is  increasing  at 
the  rate  of  over  30  per  cent,  each  year.  The  visitor  to 
Korea  is  impressed  by  the  fact  that  the  Spirit  of  God 
is  working  with  great  power  in  all  parts  of  the  country. 
People  of  all  classes  are  being  brought  under  the  sway 
of  Christ.  The  eagerness  manifested  among  the  Ko- 
rean people  to  learn  of  Christ  is  so  great  that  the 
missionaries  everywhere  are  overwhelmed  in  their 
attempts  to  meet  the  flood-tide  of  opportunity  pressing 
upon  them,  and  have  little  time  to  go  after  the  people 
or  to  do  pioneer  work. 

The  Koreans  are  Bible-studying  Christians.  The 
Bible  is  the  book  having  the  largest  sale  among  them  ; 
it  has  been  disseminated  even  among  the  remotest  vil- 
lages. Fully  one-sixth  of  the  entire  church  member- 
ship are  enrolled  in  Bible  training-classes  or  confer- 
ences which  are  held  from  time  to  time  at  principal 
mission  centers,  and  continue  from  a  few  days  to  three 
weeks.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  the  Christians  to 
make  a  ten  days'  journey  to  attend  one  of  these  gather- 
ings for  Bible  study.  The  Koreans  are  praying  Chris- 
tians. At  Phyengyang,  in  connection  with  one  church, 
the  midweek  prayer-meeting  has  had  for  years  an 
average  attendance  of  1100,  and  is  possibly  the  largest 


RISING  SPIRITUAL  TIDE  77 

meeting  for  united  intercession  which  assembles  any- 
where in  the  world. 

The  Korean  Christians  are  also  Christians  who  give  Giving  and 
liberally  of  their  substance.  Eighty  per  cent,  of  the  Self-sacrifice 
work  of  the  Korean  Church  is  already  self-supporting. 
Hundreds  of  Korean  leaders  and  lay  preachers  serve 
without  receiving  any  remuneration.  Dr.  George 
Heber  Jones  reports  that,  "  Korean  men  have  been 
known  to  mortgage  their  houses  that  mortgages  might 
be  removed  from  the  houses  of  God ;  to  sell  their  crops 
of  good  rice,  intended  for  family  consumption,  pur- 
chasing inferior  millet  to  live  upon  through  the  winter, 
and  giving  the  difference  in  cost  for  the  support  of 
workers  to  preach  among  their  own  countrymen. 
Korean  women  have  given  their  wedding  rings,  and 
even  cut  off  their  hair  that  it  might  be  sold  and  the 
amount  devoted  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel." 

The  Korean  Christians  are  also  working  Christians.  Missionary 
Thousands  of  them  last  year  gave  from  one  week  to  Spirit 
one  month  each  to  the  work  of  proclaiming  the  Gospel 
in  neighboring  and  in  distant  communities.  It  is  prob- 
able that  a  larger  proportion  of  Korean  Christians  have 
won  others  to  Christ  than  of  those  in  the  Church  of 
any  other  land.  Often  the  test  question  in  connection 
with  admission  to  church  membership  is,  "  Have  you 
led  some  other  soul  to  Jesus  Christ  ?  "  The  Korean 
Church  is  a  missionary  Church;  its  members  are 
working  among  the  Korean  colonies  in  Hawaii,  on  the 
Pacific  Coast  of  the  United  States,  in  Mexico,  as  well 
as  in  Manchuria  and  Siberia.  A  missionary  tells  of  a 
Korean    who   reported   that   he    had   heard   that,    in 


78  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

a  certain  Manchurian  city,  there  were  100,000  Koreans, 
that  there  were  many  brigands  there,  that  the  rice 
was  not  good  to  eat,  but  that  he  wished  to  go  there 
to  preach  tfoe  Gospel,  and  as  he  had  three  sons  he 
thought  that,  growing  up  among  the  Chinese,  they 
would  learn  the  Chinese  language  so  well  that  they 
would  become  missionaries  to  the  Chinese.  It  is  this 
spirit  which  explains  the  rapid  development  and  ex- 
tension of  the  Korean  Church.  There  is  every  pros- 
pect that  if  the  Church  of  the  West  presses  forward 
its  missionary  efforts,  Korea  will  be  the  first  non- 
Christian  nation  to  become  Christianized  in  the  mod- 
ern missionary  era.  The  Honorable  T.  H.  Yun,  the 
most  influential  Christian  of  Korea,  voices  his  convic- 
tion that,  "  The  next  ten  years  will  tell  more  for  the 
evangelization  of  Korea  than  the  fifty  years  there- 
after." The  thorough  evangelization  of  one  nation 
actually  accomplished  would  serve  as  a  practical  object- 
lesson  to  the  whole  Church,  and  would  inspire  Chris- 
tians in  all  other  non-Christian  nations. 

In  China,  the  promise  is  greater  to-day  than  at  any 
time  in  the  past.  When  Protestant  missionaries  first 
went  to  China,  so  unfruitful  did  the  soil  appear,  that 
one  hundred  years  ago  Dr.  Milne,  Robert  Morrison's 
first  colleague,  predicted  that  in  a  century  there  would 
be  1000  communicants  and  adherents  to  Protestant 
Christianity  in  China.  At  the  end  of  the  first  thirty- 
five  years  of  the  missionary  history  of  China,  it  seemed 
as  though  Dr.  Milne's  prophecy  might  not  be  fulfilled, 
for  there  were  but  six  converts  to  Christianity.  Even 
twenty  years  later,  when  Bishop  Moule  of  Mid-China 


RISING  SPIRITUAL  TIDE  79 

first  went  out,  there  were,  according  to  his  statement, 
only  fifty  Protestant  Christian  communicants.  Since 
then,  however,  the  tide  has  begun  to  flow,  and  in  the 
year  1896  there  were  as  many  as  80,000  communicants. 
Now  there  are  fully  175,000,  and  were  the  number  of 
Protestant  adherents  included,  the  number  would  be 
nearly  half  a  million.  This  rapid  increase  is  being 
continued  to-day.  Contrary  to  the  general  impression, 
the  greatest  advances  of  Christianity  have  been  made 
since  the  Boxer  uprising. 

Reports  tell  of  spiritual  awakenings  in  widely  sep-  A  Period  of 
arated  parts  of  China — west,  south,  north,  and  central.  Revivals 
As  an  example,  the  revival  in  Hinghua,  in  the  Fukien 
Province,  may  be  mentioned.  This  awakening  began 
a  few  months  ago  and  seems  to  be  still  in  the  initial 
stages;  the  meetings  day  after  day  are  crowding  the 
large  tabernacle  with  audiences  numbering  about  five 
thousand.  Dr.  William  Brewster,  in  writing  of  this 
revival,  says,  "  No  language  can  describe  the  power  of 
God  as  here  manifested.  There  was  no  hysteria,  no 
prostration,  but  simply  conviction  of  sin  and  confes- 
sion, restitution,  forsaking  sin,  accepting  Christ  as 
Saviour  by  thousands,  and  going  out  anointed  for  wit- 
nessing to  His  power  to  save/'  Evangelistic  campaigns 
conducted  by  the  late  Dr.  Lee,  the  eminent  Chinese 
evangelist,  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  were  also 
occasions  of  the  mighty  working  of  the  living  God. 
The  Rev.  J.  Goforth  of  the  Canadian  Presbyterian 
Mission  has  had  remarkable  success  in  conducting 
thirty  special  missions  in  six  different  provinces.  He 
testifies  that  in  every  place  he  has  seen  God's  glorious 


8o 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


power  manifested.    In  some  cases  those  who  attended 
these  special  missions  carried  the  evangelistic  spirit  to 
other  communities. 
Movement  One  of  the  most  wonderful  revivals  of  modern  times 

among  Miao      js  the  one  among  the  degraded  and  illiterate  tribes 
People  jn    southwest   China.      The   movement  has   extended 

most  widely  among  the  Miao,  a  vigorous,  aboriginal 
race,  including  about  seventy  tribes,  which  have 
maintained  a  state  of  semi-independence  of  the  Chi- 
nese Government.  This  revival  has  been  going  on 
steadily  for  over  seven  years;  during  that  time  many 
villages  have  become  wholly  Christian,  and  in  hun- 
dreds of  other  villages  Christian  bands  are  witnessing 
for  Christ.  Many  men  who  were  once  drunkards 
are  now  sober,  and  women  who  formerly  were 
leading  immoral  lives  are  now  leading  victorious 
lives  under  the  power  of  Christ.  It  is  estimated  that 
over  20,000  of  these  tribesmen  have  broken  with  hea- 
thenism and  turned  to  Christ,  largely  as  a  result  of  the 
efforts  of  those  who  had  themselves  been  converted 
but  recently  from  heathenism.  Mr.  J.  R.  Adam  of  the 
China  Inland  Mission,  in  describing  a  tour  which  he 
made  within  the  past  two  years  in  the  Miao  country, 
tells  of  the  large  numbers  who  came  to  hear  the  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel.  On  one  Sunday  literally  thousands 
were  present  at  the  morning  service,  and  nine  hun- 
dred celebrated  the  Holy  Communion.  In  all  the  vil- 
lages he  visited,  he  was  kept  busy  examining  and  bap- 
tizing converts.  Surprisingly  few  cases  of  discipline 
were  brought  to  his  attention.  As  in  the  case  of  the 
Welsh  revival,  singing  has  been  a  prominent  feature  of 


RISING  SPIRITUAL  TIDE  8l 

this  movement  among  the  Miao.    The  central  message 
of  the  revival  has  been  the  refrain — 

There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood 

Drawn  from  Emmanuel's  veins; 
And  sinners  plunged  beneath  that  flood, 

Lose  all  their  guilty  stains. 

The  thirst  among  the  Chinese  for  knowledge  con-  Thirst  for 
cerning  Christianity  is  remarkable.  Dr.  Griffith  John  Knowledge 
has  said  that  when  he  reached  China  it  was  difficult 
even  to  give  away  copies  of  the  New  Testament,  and 
that  this  had  to  be  done  in  secret.  Two  years  ago,  the 
Tract  Society  in  his  region  sold  a  million  and  a  half 
copies  of  different  pieces  of  Christian  literature,  and 
the  Presbyterian  Press  in  Shanghai  during  the  same 
year  disposed  of  one  million  six  hundred  thousand 
copies.  The  Bible  Societies  of  Britain  and  America 
have  had  a  similar  encouraging  expansion  of  their 
work. 

The  Christward  movement  in  China  is  making  quite  Work  with 
as  great  progress  among  the  students  as  among  the  Students 
masses.  Ten  years  ago,  it  was  impossible  to  obtain 
access  to  the  literati  or  government  students.  Within 
the  past  three  or  four  years  the  largest  halls  which 
could  be  obtained  in  several  of  the  principal  student 
centers  of  China  would  not  hold  the  crowds  of  modern 
government  students  who  thronged  the  evangelistic 
meetings  conducted  under  the  auspices  of  the  Student 
Christian  Association  movement.  This  has  occurred 
in  connection  with  missions  conducted  by  several  dif- 
ferent  missionaries    and   visiting    Christian    workers 


82 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Self-support 


Activities 
of  College 
Association 
Men 


from  abroad.  These  meetings,  which  often  lasted 
three  hours,  have  almost  without  exception  been  at- 
tended with  large  results  in  the  definite  conversion  of 
students ;  and  there  have  been  similar  encouragements 
in  connection  with  the  campaign  waged  among  the 
thousands  of  Chinese  students  in  Tokyo,  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 
No  month  passes  in  which  some  of  these  students  do 
not  make  open  confession  and  become  baptized. 

The  Chinese  Christians  in  different  parts  of  the 
country  and  of  all  social  classes  are  assuming  as  never 
before  the  burden  of  responsibility  for  the  propagation 
of  the  Gospel.  There  are  gratifying  evidences  of  this 
among  the  converts  of  the  peasant  and  merchant 
classes,  but  the  most  striking  examples  are  those  af- 
forded by  the  colleges  and  schools. 

The  activities  of  a  Christian  Association  in  a  college 
in  Swatow  may  serve  to  illustrate  the  sense  of  respon- 
sibility as  accepted  by  the  Christian  students  in  all 
parts  of  China.  The  institution  has  in  all  only  twenty 
students,  but  every  one  of  these  is  enrolled  in  Bible 
classes.  In  addition  to  their  Christian  work  in  the  col- 
lege they  are  conducting  a  night  school  three  evenings 
in  the  week  for  the  people  of  the  village.  Every  stu- 
dent in  the  institution  is  engaged  in  evangelistic  work 
in  places  near  the  school.  They  send  representatives 
to  the  railway  station  to  sell  Christian  literature,  and 
on  festival  days,  when  there  are  unusual  crowds,  they 
travel  on  the  trains  for  this  purpose.  Three  miles 
from  the  school  there  is  a  town  of  ten  thousand  people, 
among  whom  there  is  not  a  Christian,  and  there  the 


RISING  SPIRITUAL  TIDE  83 

Student  Association  has  rented  and  furnished  a  house 
in  which  they  conduct  evangelistic  services  regularly. 
The  Student  Associations  of  no  country  are  doing  more 
widespread  and  thorough  work  among  people  outside 
of  the  colleges  than  are  those  in  China.  Moreover, 
they  are  raising  up  large  numbers  of  Christian  workers. 
In  the  Peking  University  there  is  a  Volunteer  Band 
composed  of  over  two  hundred  students  who  have 
dedicated  their  lives  to  Christian  service,  although  this 
involved  turning  their  backs  upon  opportunities  of  re- 
ceiving far  larger  salaries  in  commercial  pursuits  or  in 
government  service.  A  few  months  ago,  after  a  re- 
vival in  the  Union  Christian  College  in  the  Shantung 
Province,  104  of  the  College  students  and  twenty-eight 
of  the  boys  in  the  High  School  consecrated  their  lives 
to  Christian  work. 

The  indirect  influences  of  Christianity  in  China  are  Indirect 
becoming  increasingly  evident.  As  a  result  of  the  Influences 
example  of  medical  missions,  the  Chinese  are  them- 
selves devoting  increasingly  their  gifts  and  their  efforts 
to  the  alleviation  of  physical  suffering.  The  ablest  and 
most  conspicuous  leaders  of  the  opium  reform  are 
men  who  have  come  intimately  in  touch  with  Chris- 
tianity. The  crusade  against  foot-binding,  while  now 
favored  by  an  Imperial  edict  and  taken  up  by  officials 
and  gentry  throughout  the  empire,  was  inaugurated 
by  Christians.  The  new  government  colleges  are  mod- 
eled after  the  missionary  institutions,  and  all  of  them 
close  on  Sunday.  The  new  literature  is  so  saturated 
with  ideals  of  liberty,  justice,  and  social  responsibility, 
taken  directly  from  Christian  sources,  that  the  Chinese 


84 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


language  has  had  to  be  materially  altered  to  fit  it  to 
these  new  conceptions.  The  revision  of  the  penal  code 
which  is  now  in  progress  means  the  abolition  of  torture 
and  the  adoption  of  Christian  laws  for  the  empire. 
Slavery,  which  was  especially  widespread  among  girls, 
has  recently  been  prohibited  by  an  edict  of  the  Prince 
Regent,  and  women  are  rapidly  being  accorded  the 
status  which  they  enjoy  in  Christian  lands.  This  latter 
fact  is  considered  by  many  as  the  most  significant  re- 
form now  taking  place  in  the  country,  and  it  is  cer- 
tainly one  of  the  very  clearest  proofs  of  the  growing 
influence  which  Christian  ideals  are  having  upon  the 
life  of  China. 

The  entire  history  of  missions  in  Manchuria  has 
been  characterized  by  genuine  revivals.  One  of  the 
most  thoroughgoing  and  fruitful  has  been  the  spiritual 
awakening  of  the  last  two  years.  Beginning  in  Muk- 
den, it  soon  spread  to  other  centers,  and  everywhere 
with  remarkable  results.  Dr.  W.  Phillips,  of  the  Irish 
Presbyterian  Mission,  gives  an  account  of  one  of  these 
meetings  which  is  typical.  He  says :  "  Deep  conviction 
of  sin  has  been  the  characteristic  note  of  the  revival. 
It  has  been  so  noticeable  a  feature  that  it  has  become 
almost  a  byword  in  the  villages :  *  Avoid  these  Chris- 
tians. Their  God  is  a  Spirit  of  confessing,  who  will 
force  you  to  disclose  what  no  yamen  could  wring  from 
you.'  What  the  revival  may  lead  to,  no  man  can  tell. 
The  old  religions  have  lost  their  hold  on  the  people  and 
the  whole  land  is  open  to  receive  the  Gospel.  The 
spiritual  fires  are  spreading  from  place  to  place  and 
radiating  their  influence  wider  and  wider;  wherever 


RISING  SPIRITUAL  TIDE  85 

they  come  there  is  a  ready  response.  Great  signs  and 
wonders  are  still  being  wrought  by  the  living  God  on 
the  Manchurian  plains.  Boxers  who  massacred  Chris- 
tians have  been  converted  as  a  result  of  the  spirit  of 
forgiveness  shown  by  the  injured  Christians  towards 
their  persecutors;  whole  towns  have  been  moved  by 
the  Spirit  of  God,  and  thousands  added  to  the  Church. 
The  whole  of  Manchuria  seems  to  be  stirred  to  its 
depths." 

Notwithstanding  the  unrest  and  disturbances  in  Awakenings 
India,  the  past  few  years  have  witnessed  real  progress  "*  ^d** 
in  the  Christian  propaganda.  There  have  been  large 
ingatherings  into  the  Kingdom  of  Christ.  The  awak- 
ening in  the  Welsh  Mission  in  the  Khasi  Hills,  lead- 
ing to  the  conversion  of  thousands  and  to  the  quicken- 
ing of  the  native  Church,  exerted  an  influence  far 
beyond  that  region.  It  did  much  to  strengthen  the 
faith  of  the  workers  elsewhere,  and  to  fire  them  with 
the  zeal  of  evangelism.  The  so-called  "  mass  move- 
ments "  in  different  parts  of  India  are  resulting  each 
year  in  turning  a  multitude  of  the  outcastes  and  of  the 
members  of  the  lower  castes  towards  the  Christian 
fold.  The  readiness  of  these  depressed  masses  to  re- 
ceive the  Gospel  and  to  accept  baptism  is  indeed  im- 
pressive. In  the  Telugu  country  thousands  of  vil- 
lagers, including  members  of  higher  castes  as  well  as 
of  depressed  classes,  are  clamorously  desiring  to  enter 
the  Church,  while  the  available  workers  are  not  able 
to  meet  the  demand  for  religious  teaching  made  upon 
them.  During  a  single  year  recently  about  three  thou- 
sand souls  in  the  southeast  portion   of  the  Nizam's 


in  India 


86  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

Dominions  placed  themselves  under  Christian  instruc- 
tion. 
A  Mass  The  characteristics  and  working  of  a  mass  move- 

Movement  ment  may  best  be  illustrated  by  a  description  of  what 
took  place  in  a  Telugu  village.  The  inhabitants,  com- 
posed almost  entirely  of  the  depressed  classes  and  out- 
castes,  had  become  greatly  dissatisfied  with  their  state 
of  degradation  and  with  the  general  adverse  condi- 
tions of  their  life.  They  had  observed  the  social,  eco-  * 
nomic,  and  intellectual  changes  and  improvements  in 
neighboring  Christian  communities  where  the  people 
were  formerly  as  degraded  and  depressed  as  them- 
selves. They  sent  a  deputation  to  the  missionaries  at 
a  mission  station  some  distance  away  and  urged  them 
to  send  a  Christian  teacher  to  the  village,  and  indicated 
their  willingness  to  place  themselves  under  Christian 
instruction.  Later,  a  catechist  was  sent,  and  he  re- 
mained in  their  midst  for  nearly  a  year.  During  that 
time,  he  held  services  almost  every  day,  and  on  many 
days  both  in  the  early  morning  and  in  the  evening. 
He  devoted  himself  to  teaching  them  the  facts  about 
the  life  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  expounding  simply  and 
clearly  the  fundamental  Christian  doctrines,  observ- 
ances, and  customs.  Under  his  positive  instruction 
about  Christianity,  they  discovered  for  themselves  the 
low  character  of  much  of  their  religion,  especially  its 
debased  idol  worship,  its  devil  dances,  and  other  cor- 
rupt practices.  The  catechist  called  upon  them  to  turn 
from  their  idols  and  to  give  up  habits  of  drinking  and 
immorality.  In  due  time  they  tore  down  their  temple 
and  built  a  simple  place  for  Christian  worship.  Such  a 


RISING   SPIRITUAL  TIDE  87 

radical  step  represented  nothing  less  than  a  great  rev- 
olution in  their  ideas  and  attitude.  The  giving  up,  on 
the  part  of  many  of  them,  of  Sunday  labor  is  also  an 
impressive  proof  of  the  marked  change,  because  most 
of  the  members  of  the  community  were  very  poor  and 
dependent  upon  hard  and  constant  work  to  provide 
for  their  needs.  None  were  baptized  until  after  sev- 
eral months  of  instruction  and  until  after  they  had 
given  satisfying  evidence  of  a  change  of  life  as  shown 
in  repentance,  in  giving  up  sinful  and  questionable 
habits  and  associations,  and  in  trust  in  Jesus  as  Sav- 
iour.' When  the  catechist  first  came  to  this  village, 
some  ninety  members  of  the  community  gathered 
round  him  under  a  tree  at  his  first  service.  When  he 
revisited  the  place  there  were  190  baptized  Christians, 
eighty  of  whom  were  communicant  members  of  the 
Church.  He  found  eighty  persons  who  could  read  the 
Bible,  whereas  at  the  time  of  the  first  visit  none  of 
them  could  do  so.  He  bore  testimony  that  the  very 
expression  of  their  countenances  had  been  changed. 
Twelve  confirmed  drunkards  had  broken  their  evil 
habit  and  had  paid  debts'  which  had  hung  over  their 
families  for  over  two  generations.  The  whole  com- 
munity had  been  appreciably  raised  in  its  social  and 
economic  status.  The  change  in  disposition  and  char- 
acter of  many  of  the  people  had  been  so  marked  as  to 
impress  deeply  the  Brahman  landlords,  who  at  first  op- 
posed the  coming  of  the  catechist,  and  on  one  occasion 
had  driven  him  out,  but  now  begged  him  to  visit  other 
villages  to  carry  on  a  similar  work.  They  testified  that 
the  practice  of  stealing  had  been  done  away,  and  that 


88  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

the  whole  moral  tone  of  the  village  had  been  changed. 
Some  men  who  had  been  given  to  drink  and  had  been 
in  prison  were  found  working  for  the  temperance 
cause  and  seeking  to  convert  their  fellows.  The  Chris- 
tians were  giving  liberally  for  the  support  and  spread 
of  the  Gospel,  some  exhibiting  great  sacrifice.  As  a 
result  of  this  genuine  work  of  God  in  one  village  a 
similar  spirit  of  dissatisfaction  with  their  present  con- 
ditions, and  of  desire  for  new  and  better  things,  had 
spread  to  neighboring  villages.  Men  had  not  been 
greatly  impressed  by  what  Christianity  might  do  for 
individuals,  but  the  object-lesson  of  a  village  com- 
munity transformed  by  Christian  teaching  and  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  had  served  as  a  convincing 
evidence  of  the  vitality  and  power  of  Christianity,  and 
had  led  them  to  see4c  to  bring  its  transforming  influ- 
ence to  bear  upon  their  corporate  life. 
Other  Indian  Similar  movements  are  reported  in  the  United  Prov- 
Centers  inces,  in  the  Punjab,  and  in  Western  India.     In  one 

section  of  North  India,  at  the  present  rate  of  ingather- 
ing, it  will  be  only  a  few  years  until  practically  all  of 
the  "  sweepers  "  will  have  come  in ;  and  there  are  at 
present  signs  of  a  break  among  a  still  larger  class — the 
leather-workers.  Several  lower  castes  are  very  acces- 
sible. Bishop  Warne,  in  writing  about  the  mass  move- 
ment in  connection  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Mis- 
sion in  the  United  Provinces,  says,  "  I  have  now  known 
this  field  for  twenty  years.  This  movement  among  the 
lower  castes  towards  Christianity  has  taken  place  al- 
most entirely  during  that  period.  The  readiness  to 
receive  Gospel  teaching  and  to  accept  baptism  has  been 


RISING   SPIRITUAL  TIDE  89 

found  wherever  we  have  been  able  to  extend  our  work 
with  the  needed  vigor.  This  movement  has  already 
given  us  about  24,000  converts,  and  perhaps  one-third 
of  that  number  have  died  during  these  years."  Some 
missions  are  baptizing  as  rapidly  as  they  can  thorough- 
ly evangelize  and  teach.  Others  testify  that  they  could 
double  or  quadruple  the  number  of  baptisms  were  they 
able  to  double  their  force  of  workers. 

The  missionaries  in  touch  with  these  movements  in  Outlook 
India  are  alive  to  the  perils  involved,  and  they  may  be  for  ^e 
depended  upon  to  safeguard  the  Church  from  serious  ePresse 
mistakes.  The  opportunity  is  certainly  great  and 
urgent.  The  late  Professor  Satthianadhan  of  the 
Presidency  College  in  Madras  pointed  out,  in  1905,  the 
hopeful  aspect  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  among 
the  masses :  "  It  is  those  very  classes,  depressed,  tram- 
pled down,  and  looked  upon  as  utterly  incapable  of 
improvement  of  any  kind,  that  now,  with  the  enlight- 
ening influence  of  Christianity,  compete  successfully 
with  the  highest  castes  and  classes  of  Indian  society  in 
every  direction.  In  my  opinion,  even  if  there  had  not 
been  a  single  convert  from  the  higher  classes  of  Hindu 
society,  the  transformation  which  Christianity  has 
wrought  among  the  lower  classes  it  has  won  over  to 
its  fold,  is  itself  a  clear  evidence  of  its  unique  triumph 
in  India." 

The  significance  of  the  mass  movement  will  be  even   Millions  can 
better  realized  by  pondering  the  following  words  of   be  Reached 
the  Bishop  of  Madras :  "  The  main  fact  which  ought, 
I  think,  to  determine  the  use  we  make  of  the  forces  at 
our  disposal  in  India  at  the  present  day,  is  that  there 


9o 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Foundation 
Work 


The  Higher 
Classes 


are  50,000,000  people  in  India  who  are  quite  ready  to 
receive  the  Gospel  message,  to  put  themselves  under 
Christian  teaching  and  discipline,  and  to  be  baptized ; 
and  that,  if  a  prompt,  aggressive,  and  adequate  cam- 
paign were  carried  on  among  them,  it  would  be  quite 
possible  to  gather  something  like  30,000,000  of  them 
into  the  Christian  Church  during  the  next  fifty  years, 
to  raise  them  morally,  spiritually,  and  socially  from 
the  state  of  degradation  and  servitude  in  which  Hindu- 
ism has  kept  them  for  the  last  two  thousand  years,  and 
to  furnish  to  the  whole  people  of  India,  especially  to 
the  educated  classes,  a  most  powerful  witness  for  the 
truth  and  power  of  the  Christian  faith." 

These  modern  mass  movements  present  an  appeal  to 
the  Church  to  make  a  prompt  and  large  advance. 
They  will  not  be  without  their  powerful  influence  on 
the  higher  castes  and  classes  of  India.  May  it  not  be 
that  the  Bishop  of  Madras  is  right  in  his  contention 
that  the  future  of  India  lies  more  with  the  pariah  than 
with  the  Brahman  ?  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  history  of 
the  Church  shows  that  any  great  spiritual  movement 
at  the  bottom  of  society  sooner  or  later  profoundly 
affects  the  upper  strata. 

It  should  be  noted,  however,  that  the  movement 
toward  Christ  among  the  higher  castes  and  educated 
classes  of  India  also  affords  grounds  for  thanks- 
giving and  hopefulness.  There  are  among  the  higher 
castes,  hundreds  of  people  who,  as  a  result  of  the 
impression  made  upon  them  by  the  transforming 
work  of  the  Gospel  among  the  low  castes,  and  out- 
castes,  as  well  as  of  direct  efforts  on  their  own  behalf, 


RISING   SPIRITUAL  TIDE  9 1 

have  been  led  to  give  serious  attention  to  Christianity, 
and  in  heart  have  come  into  sympathy  with  its  teaching 
and  spirit.  Numbers  of  them  have  been  baptized,  and 
there  is  reason  to  believe  that  many  more  all  over 
India  are  secret  disciples  and  worshipers  of  Jesus 
Christ.  A  survey  of  the  Indian  Christian  community 
will  show  that  the  number  of  converts  from  the  higher 
castes,  while  not  large,  is  increasing.  A  prominent 
worker  among  students  in  India  has  pointed  out  re- 
cently that  there  have  been  more  conversions  among 
the  educated  classes  of  India  during  the  last  ten  years 
than  in  any  previous  decade  in  the  history  of  Indian 
missions.  The  principal  of  one  of  the  leading  Christian 
colleges  says  that  the  student  class  was  never  so  acces- 
sible to  Christian  influences  as  now.  Missionaries 
and  other  observers  in  all  sections  of  India  emphasize 
the  fact  that  comparatively  few  of  the  educated  classes 
adhere  to  Hinduism  in  an  unmodified  form,  and  that 
not  many  of  them  have  a  vital  faith  in  it  as  a  personal 
religion.  A  leading  Scottish  missionary  of  many 
years'  experience  has  said  that  nowadays  no  bona 
fide  idolater  is  to  be  found  among  university  men. 
The  firm  hold  which  the  old  religions  and  customs  of 
India  had  upon  the  people  is  breaking  down,  and,  as 
the  Bishop  of  Lahore  says,  "  There  has  been  a  gradual 
conversion  of  the  attitude  of  the  people  toward  Chris- 
tianity." Christianity  is  coming  more  and  more  into 
its  own  in  Hindustan,  and  the  best  thought  of  India 
is  not  toward  Hinduism  but  toward  Christ. 

In  all  parts  of  the  Turkish  Empire  and  in  Persia   Mohammedan 
since  the  recent  revolutions,  there  is  a  widespread  spirit   WeakeninS 


92 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Increase  of 
Converts 


Bright 
Outlook 
in  Africa 


of  inquiry,  as  shown  by  the  unprecedented  demand  for 
the  Scriptures.  Mohammedanism  has  as  strong  a  hold 
on  its  adherents  as  has  any  other  non-Christian  re- 
ligion, but  it  is  weakening  in  the  case  of  the  educated 
and  better-informed  men.  The  Koran  and  the  newly 
proclaimed  principles  of  liberty  are  not  found  to  be 
suitable  yoke-fellows.  Notwithstanding  the  aggres- 
sive advance  of  Mohammedanism  in  some  quarters  of 
the  world,  as  a  religion  it  is  making  no  marked  intel- 
lectual or  spiritual  progress,  and  therefore  it  is  not 
able  to  command  the  full  allegiance  of  many  of  its 
adherents  who  are  studying  the  modern  learning. 

The  application  of  modern  critical  methods  in  India 
and  elsewhere  is  serving  to  undermine  faith  in  the 
Koran,  so  that  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  find  Moslems 
who  concede  that  this  book  does  not  have  permanent 
authority  in  the  realm  of  morals.  While  the  results 
of  work  on  behalf  of  Moslems  in  the  form  of  an- 
nounced conversions  have  not  been  large,  efforts  of 
this  kind  have  by  no  means  been  in  vain,  as  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  a  conference  of  Moslem  converts  was 
held  recently  in  Zeitoun,  Egypt.  There  are  also  among 
Moslems  many  secret  believers  in  Christ,  and  it  seems 
to  be  the  general  impression  among  missionaries  that 
the  time  has  come  when  we  may  expect  to  see  an 
increasing  number  of  conversions  to  Christianity 
among  the  Moslem  population. 

It  is  plain  from  what  the  missionaries  write  that  by 
far  the  greatest  progress  of  Christianity  in  Africa  has 
been  achieved  within  the  past  decade.  Wherever  there 
have  been  workers  of  holy  life  and  strong  faith  to  put 


RISING  SPIRITUAL  TIDE  93 

in  the  sickle,  they  have  gathered  sheaves.  This  has 
been  conspicuously  exemplified  in  Uganda.  There 
have  been  frequent  revivals  in  that  field  during 
the  past  few  years,  but  one  of  the  most  notable  was 
that  of  March,  1906.  During  the  eight  days  of  special 
services  the  attendance  increased  steadily  from  3500 
on  the  first  day  to  nearly  6000  on  the  last  day.  It  was 
an  ethical  and  spiritual  movement.  Bishop  Tucker, 
in  writing  about  it,  says :  "  Drunkards  signed  the 
pledge  in  large  numbers.  Heathen  enrolled  themselves 
to  such  an  extent  as  candidates  for  baptism  that  for  a 
while  it  was  difficult  to  arrange  for  their  instruction, 
whilst  the  candidates  for  confirmation  were  so  nu- 
merous that  we  were  obliged  to  invade  the  Cathedral 
and  hold  our  classes  there,  no  fewer  than  thirteen  such 
classes  finding  accommodation  within  its  precincts. 
This  large  ingathering  of  souls  through  the  special 
mission  services  at  the  capital  was  an  indication  of  a 
similar  ingathering  which  was  going  on  more  or  less 
throughout  the  whole  country."  He  estimates  that 
during  the  five  years  ending  September  30,  1907,  fully 
36,000  persons  were  baptized  into  the  Church,  or  an 
average  of  more  than  7000  each  year.  This  wonder- 
ful Christward  movement  has  continued  in  full  tide, 
there  being  last  year  over  8000  new  converts.  An 
equally  remarkable  evangelistic  movement  has  been 
going  forward  in  Livingstonia,  likewise  in  parts  of  the 
Congo  Basin ;  but  the  mention  of  these  fields  must  not 
exclude  from  view  the  fact  that  in  other  districts  also 
the  mighty  working  of  the  Spirit  of  God  has  been 
witnessed. 


94  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

A  Rising  As  one  looks  out  over  the  non-Christian  world,  it  is 

Ti<*e  true  that  one  may  see  some  apparently  barren  fields 

and  deserts,  and  observe  certain  sections  and  classes 
of  the  population  in  some  countries  which  are  not  re- 
sponding largely  to  the  Gospel  appeal;  but  taking  the 
non-Christian  world  as  a  whole,  the  present  is  without 
doubt  a  time  of  rising  spiritual  tide.  It  is  always  wise 
to  take  advantage  of  a  rising  tide. 
Danger  On  the  one  hand,  grave  perils  result  if  such  a  rising 

in  Delay  tide  be  not  taken  advantage  of  and  wisely  used.     Many 

who  have  become  interested,  or  impressed,  or  con- 
verted in  the  midst  of  the  spiritual  movement  are 
in  danger  of  lapsing  and  of  passing  into  a  state 
worse  than  that  in  which  they  were  before  they  were 
awakened,  unless  by  a  continuation  and  enlargement 
of  the  spiritual  efforts  they  are  encouraged,  guided, 
and  built  up.  Moreover,  unless  the  advantage  is 
pressed,  there  is  danger  that  many  will  stop  just 
short  of  acting  conclusively  on  the  light  which  they 
have  received  or  of  responding  to  the  spiritual  impulses 
which  they  have  felt;  whereas,  if  advantage  is  taken 
of  the  favoring  conditions,  they  may  be  led  out  into 
the  path  of  obedience.  Perhaps  the  greatest  danger 
of  all  is  that  too  many  will  press  into  the  Christian 
Church  before  they  have  obtained  sufficient  training, 
and  that  the  whole  level  of  the  Christian  life  of  the 
community  will  thereby  be  lowered. 
A  Time  On  the  other  hand,  great  victories  are  possible  if 

for  Action  oniy   an   adequate   effort   be   made.     Experience   has 

shown    that   in   improving   such   an   opportunity    far 
more  can  be  accomplished  within  a  short  time  than 


RISING   SPIRITUAL  TIDE  95 

in  a  long  period  of  persistent  effort  under  other  con- 
ditions. At  such  a  time  people  are  much  more 
susceptible  to  religious  impressions  and  more  re- 
sponsive to  religious  appeals.  Moreover,  a  great 
opportunity  is  given  to  the  Church  of  pressing  out 
into  its  most  difficult  fields  and  of  overcoming  many 
of  its  most  baffling  obstacles.  A  great  acquired 
momentum  is  essential  for  the  accomplishment  of  such 
difficult  ends,  and  what  is  a  rising  spiritual  tide  but  an 
increasing  momentum?  What  might  not  the  Church 
have  accomplished  in  the  Telugu  country  during  the 
past  generation  if  it  had  pressed  the  advantage  af- 
forded by  the  first  great  revival  which  visited  that  field 
a  generation  ago?  How  different  might  have  been 
the  progress  of  Christianity  among  the  high  caste 
Hindus  had  the  Church  more  largely  utilized  the  ad- 
vantage placed  within  its  reach  by  the  successful 
efforts  put  forth  on  their  behalf  by  Alexander  Duff? 
Some  of  the  wisest  students  of  missions  believe  that, 
as  a  result  of  the  failure  of  the  Church  to  improve  its 
opportunity  in  Japan  in  the  late  eighties,  the  work  of 
evangelizing  that  country  has  been  greatly  delayed  and 
made  more  difficult.  In  every  Christian  land  there 
have  been  solemnizing  examples  of  the  failure  of  the 
Church  to  take  advantage  of  a  rising  spiritual  tide. 
May  Christians  everywhere  awaken  to  the  fact  that 
in  the  annals  of  Christianity  there  has  been  no  time 
like  the  present.  Surely  it  is  a  summons  to  the  Church 
to  put  forth  its  strength  in  measure  adequate  to  press 
the  present  unprecedented  advantage. 


THE   REQUIREMENTS  OF 

THE    PRESENT   SITUATION: 

AN    ADEQUATE    PLAN 


CHAPTER    IV 

THE   REQUIREMENTS   OF   THE   PRESENT   SITUATION!    AN 
ADEQUATE   PLAN 

The  present  changing  and  plastic  condition  of  the  non-  The  Immense 
Christian  nations,  the  forces  at  work  which  tend  to  Problem 
make  the  progress  of  Christianity  increasingly  difficult, 
and  the  rising  spiritual  tide  observable  in  many  parts 
of  Asia  and  Africa  combine  to  constitute  an  irresistible 
call  to  the  Christian  Church  to  carry  the  Gospel  to  all 
the  non-Christian  world  before  the  present  opportunity 
passes  away.  Such  an  undertaking  will  make  an 
enormous  demand  upon  the  faith  and  resources  of  the 
Church,  for  it  is  attended  with  difficulties  which  seem 
almost  insuperable.  The  number  to  be  reached,  em- 
bracing hundreds  of  millions,  in  itself  shows  that  the 
task  is  one  of  colossal  proportions.  Difficulties  incident 
to  the  climate,  to  the  social  condition  of  the  people, 
and  to  their  stage  of  civilization  are  real  and  grave. 
The  fact  that  there  are  still  over  four  hundred  lan- 
guages and  dialects  into  which  the  Scriptures  have  not 
been  translated  is  a  serious  obstacle  to  the  speedy 
progress  of  the  missionary  enterprise.  The  strong 
and  persistent  national  prejudices  and  social  antag- 
onisms, the  system  of  caste  and  other  social  restrictions 
and  divisions  shut  out  the  approach  of  the  missionary ; 

99 


100  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

and  superstitions,  corrupt  practices,  and  active  religious 
forces  abound  which  strenuously  oppose  the  teaching 
and  spirit  of  Christianity.  To  evangelize  the  world, 
to  change  social  and  religious  systems,  and  to  reform 
the  habits  of  thought  and  life  of  whole  peoples,  is  a 
task  that  may  well  seem  impossible.  How  is  it  to  be 
accomplished?  It  is  the  first  essential  that  the  Church 
should  have  before  it  a  plan  adequate  in  scope,  thor- 
oughness, and  strategy,  to  meet  this  unique  world 
situation. 
A  Plan  First,  this  plan   should  be   adequate   in   scope.     It 

Adequate  in       should  omit  from  consideration  no  region  or  people  to 
Scope  which  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Church  to  carry  the  Chris- 

tian religion,  and  it  must,  therefore,  at  this  time  take 
the  whole  non-Christian  world  into  its  view.  Time 
was  when  only  a  small  part  of  the  world  was  known 
and  missionary  work  wras  limited  in  extent,  but  the 
field  open  to  missionary  work  has  widened  immeas- 
urably during  the  past  century.  There  is  scarcely  one 
region  in  the  world  which  is  not  open  to-day  to  the 
Christian  Gospel,  and  there  is  no  nation  to  which  it  is 
not  the  immediate  duty  of  the  Christian  Church  to 
carry  it  Christianity  belongs  to  no  particular  nation 
or  people ;  by  virtue  of  the  character,  work,  and  com- 
mand of  its  Founder,  it  is  the  only  religion  for  all  man- 
kind. Nevertheless  there  are  still,  even  so  many 
centuries  after  Christ's  coming  to  the  earth,  one 
thousand  millions  of  non-Christian  people,  of  whom 
probably  not  more  than  one-fifth  have  heard  of  Him 
with  any  degree  of  fulness  and  clearness.  It  is  the 
Church's  duty  to  see  that  this  long-standing  reproach 


Fields 


AN  ADEQUATE   PLAN  101 

is  completely  removed.  Its  plan  of  work,  to  be  ade- 
quate, must  provide  for  the  evangelization  of  the 
whole  of  this  multitude. 

In  the  first  place  it  must  take  account  of  the  great  Covering 
unoccupied  fields  in  the  non-Christian  world,  for  there  Unoccupied 
are  still  vast  regions  without  a  single  missionary.  In 
the  heart  of  Asia  is  a  large  integral  area,  almost  equal 
in  extent  to  the  United  States  without  its  territories, 
and  with  an  estimated  population  of  26,000,000,  or 
more  than  half  of  that  of  the  British  Isles,  which  is 
almost  without  a  messenger  of  Christianity.  This 
great  area  includes  Afghanistan,  with  its  4,000,000  of 
people,  a  population  as  large  as  thai  of  Ireland; 
Bokhara,  with  over  1,000,000;  Russian  Turkestan, 
with  at  least  5,000,000  of  Mohammedans;  Tibet,  with 
its  6,000,000  of  people;  Bhutan  and  Nepal,  with  a 
combined  population  of  over  5,000,000;  portions  of 
Mongolia  having  a  nomadic  population  of  at  least 
2,000,000,  and  some  of  the  other  territories  which  are 
on  the  western  fringe  of  China.  In  southeastern  Asia 
there  is  another  extensive  territory,  comprising  chiefly 
French  Indo-China,  with  a  population  of  over  20,000,- 
000,  having  in  it  but  three  or  four  Protestant  mis- 
sionary workers.  Inland  Africa,  even  more  than 
central  Asia,  is  an  unoccupied  field.  It  contains 
various  sections  without  missionaries,  having  in  them 
an  aggregate  population  of  about  70,000,000,  or  more 
than  that  of  Germany,  Holland,  Norway,  and  Sweden 
combined.  This  population  of  the  unoccupied  sections 
includes  over  4,000,000  in  the  Sudan ;  fully  20,000,000 
of  the  30,000,000  of  the  Belgian  Congo ;  8,000,000  in 


102 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Smaller 
Areas 


Comprehen- 
sive Con- 
certed 
Action 
Needed 


the  French  Congo;  3,000,000  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Kamerun ;  2,500,000  in  Portuguese  East  Africa;  if- 
700,000  in  French  Guinea;  and  1,500,000  pagans  in 
eastern  Liberia,  besides  a  number  of  other  large 
masses  of  people,  each  numbering  over  half  a  million, 
and  being  without  any  Christian  worker. 

There  are  several  smaller  unoccupied  areas  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  world ;  for  example,  the  provinces 
of  Nejd,  Hejaz,  and  Hadramaut  in  Arabia,  with  a 
combined  population  of  about  3,000,000.  In  these 
great  and  small  areas  there  are  119,000,000  people  who 
are  without  missionaries,  and  for  the  reaching  of 
whom  at  present  the  Church  has  no  plan.* 

It  is  the  belief  of  students  of  the  present  situation 
that  a  number  of  the  totally  unoccupied  areas  remote 
from  present  missionary  operations  might  be  entered 
by  the  Church  in  response  to  wise,  concerted,  and 
prayerful  effort.  That  which  is  most  needed  is  a  large 
and  comprehensive  view  on  the  part  of  present-day 
missionary  leaders  and  an  agreement  among  them  on 
some  plan  which  actually  embraces  the  whole  non- 
Christian  world.  If  this  can  be  obtained,  other  things 
needful  will  more  readily  follow ;  men  who  have  a 
policy  to  carry  out  will  insist  upon  finding  some  method 
by  which  to  accomplish  it.  The  older  and  more  thor- 
oughly established  and  resourceful  societies  will  be 
urged  to  enlarge  their  activities,  to  include  within 
their  field  some  of  the  more  remote  unoccupied  areas, 
and,  if  they  are  not  able  to  respond  so  as  to  send  men 

*  For  a  more  adequate  discussion  of  unoccupied  fields,  see 
"Unoccupied  Mission  Fields,"  by  Samuel  M.  Zwemer. 


AN  ADEQUATE   PLAN  103 

to  every  nation,  new  societies  may  be  established  in 
order  that  this  may  be  more  promptly  done. 

Quite  as  significant  as  the  integral  unoccupied  areas  Fields  Ad- 
to  which  attention  has  been  called  are  the  multitudes  of  joiiiing 
people  unreached  by  the  Gospel  message  who  are  living  lssM>ns 
in  territories  adjoining  fields  in  which  missionaries 
are  already  working.  Investigations  instituted  by 
Commission  I  of  the  World  Missionary  Conference 
afford  ground  for  the  impression  that  the  population 
of  these  more  accessible  areas  adjacent  to  present  mis- 
sionary forces  exceeds  that  of  the  totally  unoccupied 
sections.  These  men  and  women  present  in  many 
ways  the  most  extensive,  the  most  pressing,  and  the 
most  pathetic  need  of  the  missionary  world — because 
the  Gospel,  which  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation, 
is  so  near  and  yet  so  remote  from  them.  Undoubtedly 
an  increased  missionary  staff  will  be  required  before 
this  need  can  be  fully  met,  but  it  is  the  conviction  of 
many  that  the  large  majority  of  the  multitudes  of  un- 
evangelized  people  living  within  the  spheres  of  in- 
fluence of  missions  already  established  might  be 
reached  with  the  Gospel,  were  these  missions  to  ex- 
pand their  work  with  energy  and  thoroughness.  In 
order  that  as  effective  use  as  possible  may  be  made  of 
the  missions  already  established,  the  whole  field  should 
be  surveyed  and  the  responsibilities  of  each  society  to 
its  own  sphere  of  influence  carefully  and  authoritative- 
ly determined.  If  this  were  done,  overlapping  would 
be  avoided,  new  efforts  would  be  made  to  rise  to  the 
responsibilities,  and  at  least  part  of  the  at  present  un- 
occupied fields  would  quickly  be  evangelized. 


104 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Classes 
of  Society 
Overtooked 


Even  in  those  parts  of  the  non-Christiar?  world 
where  the  number  of  missionaries,  native  Christian 
leaders,  and  Christian  church  members  is  largest,  and 
where  their  influence  is  most  potent  and  far-reaching, 
there  is  need  of  revising  and  enlarging  the  plans  so  as 
to  embrace  the  entire  population.  It  is  maintained 
that  in  Japan,  which  has  relatively  a  large  staff  of 
Christian  workers  in  proportion  to  the  population,  less 
than  one  in  ten  of  the  people  have  heard  the  Gospel. 
In  many  fields  the  sowing  has  been  in  patches  rather 
than  broadcast.  In  some  countries  the  cities  have 
been  largely  evangelized,  whereas  the  villages  and 
rural  districts  have  been  almost  wholly  neglected.  In 
other  fields,  where  an  extensive  work  of  evangeliza- 
tion has  been  carried  forward  from  the  cities  as  bases, 
the  cities  themselves  have  been  too  much  neglected. 
In  both  situations,  while  the  neglect  has  been  due  in 
part  to  insufficient  resources,  in  many  cases  it  has 
been  due  also  to  lack  of  plan.  Where  all  the  Christian 
leaders  have  united  in  the  aim  to  reach  every  person 
in  their  district  within  a  given  time,  and  to  present  the 
message  with  such  intelligence,  frequency,  and  thor- 
oughness as  to  make  it  effective,  the  advantages  of 
a  plan  have  been  at  once  evident.  It  is  in  these 
districts  that  the  work  of  evangelization  is  being 
conducted  most  successfully  and  with  the  greatest 
completeness. 

In  almost  every  country  certain  strata  or  whole 
classes  of  society  are  being  overlooked.  An  adequate 
plan  must  correct  this  by  embracing  them  all.  As  an 
illustration  of  how  classes  of  the  population  may  be 


AN  ADEQUATE  PLAN  105 

comparatively  neglected  in  a  country  relatively  well 
occupied  by  missionaries,  attention  is  called  to  a  state- 
ment, based  upon  a  careful  study  by  a  company 
of  eminent  missionaries  and  Japanese  leaders  of 
some  of  those  thus  unreached  in  Japan.  The  fol- 
lowing is  the  impressive  list  which  they  give:  the 
rapidly  increasing  number  of  factory  employees  now 
numbering  over  three-quarters  of  a  million ;  the  still 
more  numerous  classes  of  artisans  and  day  laborers; 
the  nearly  100,000  railway  employees;  shopkeepers 
and  merchants,  numbering  possibly  one-sixth  of  the 
population ;  the  men  in  the  army  and  navy,  aggregating 
300,000  in  active  service;  the  aristocracy  and  men  of 
wealth;  and  the  poor  and  unlettered  fishermen,  scat- 
tered in  villages  and  numbering  in  all  perhaps  1,000,- 
000.  In  China,  among  the  classes  which  have  been 
almost  entirely  neglected  are  the  men  of  wealth  and 
the  officials,  and  to  an  even  greater  extent  their  wives 
and  children;  the  literati  and  modern  government 
students,  these  last  two  classes  notwithstanding  the 
success  which  has  always  rewarded  efforts  made  on 
their  behalf;  the  aboriginal  tribes,  numbering  about 
6,000,000;  the  boat  population,  numbering  millions; 
the  Manchus ;  clerks  and  apprentices  in  shops ;  sol- 
diers; the  defectives;  lepers.  There  is  no  adequate 
excuse  for  the  neglect  of  so  many  entire  classes.  The 
comparatively  limited  resources  of  the  missionary  so- 
cieties are  no  sufficient  explanation  of  the  fact  that 
these  classes  have  scarcely  been  touched.  A  special 
effort  to  influence  any  one  of  them  would  have  had  its 
effect,  since  experience  in  different  parts  of  the  world 


io6 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


shows  that  when  the  Church  concentrates  itself  on  a 
given  class,  the  effort  is  as  a  rule  productive.  It  is 
believed,  therefore,  that  the  reason  for  the  neglect  is 
lack  of  recognition  of  the  needs  of  these  classes  and 
of  commensurate  plans  on  their  behalf. 

The  plan  of  the  Church  should  take  special  account 
of  the  most  difficult  fields  of  the  non-Christian  world. 
While  it  is  obviously  wise  to  push  forward  the  work 
along  the  lines  of  least  resistance,  it  is  not  only  bad 
policy,  but  it  is  disloyalty  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to 
neglect  the  regions  which  are  most  dangerous  and  most 
difficult.  It  is  high  time  that  the  Church  deliberately 
and  resolutely  attack  some  of  these  hitherto  almost 
impregnable  fortresses.  This  requires  that  the  plan 
of  the  Church  concern  itself  far  more  than  heretofore 
with  the  reaching  of  the  Mohammedan  world.  More- 
over, there  must  be  a  wise  policy  of  occupation  of  fields 
where  the  climate  is  peculiarly  dangerous  to  foreigners. 
As  the  Rev.  A.  Taylor  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society  has  well  said,  "  The  risks  to  be  faced  and  the 
personal  dangers  form  no  valid  reasons  for  holding 
back.  On  the  contrary,  such  sacrifices  as  have  already 
been  made  have  not  been  without  their  large  effects, 
and,  in  addition,  the  record  of  them  has  been  to  many 
zealous  souls  an  inspiring  call.  All  possible  advantage 
should  be  taken  of  the  experience  bought  at  so  great 
a  cost.  Every  valley  must  be  exalted  and  every  moun- 
tain and  hill  laid  low,  but  there  are  also  waste  places — 
marsh  or  morass — through  which  the  highway  can  only 
be  made  by  the  sacrifice  of  lives.  The  sacrifice  must 
none  the  less  be  made.     Policy  or  plan  merely  directs 


Thorough 


AN  ADEQUATE   PLAN  107 

the  course  of  sacrifice;  it  must  be  along  the  surveyed 
track.  It  ceases  to  be  a  waste  of  life  and  effort  if  at 
last  the  highway  is  firm  under  foot/' 

These  neglected  parts  are  so  many  and  so  large  that  Hasty  Work 
the  demands  upon  the  Church  will  be  far  greater  than  t0  be  Avoided 
it  is  immediately  able  adequately  to  meet.     In  spite  of 
the  great  need,  however,  of  a   speedy  advance,  any 
tendency  to  hasten  over  the  ground  too  quickly  must  be 
rigidly  checked. 

The  plan  of  world  evangelization  should  be  ade-  A  Plan 
quate  in  point  of  thoroughness  as  well  as  in  scope.  Adequately 
There  is  no  warrant  in  the  teaching  of  Christ,  nor  in 
the  practice  of  the  early  Christian  Church  for  a  super- 
ficial propagation  of  Christianity.  Time  will  be  gained 
and  victory  best  insured  by  doing  the  work  in  a  most 
thorough  manner.  We  are  not  simply  to  announce  a 
message  but  to  make  genuine  disciples  of  Christ. 
There  could  be  no  more  serious  danger  for  the  Church 
itself  than  the  spreading  of  an  imperfect  type  of  Chris- 
tianity, due  to  ill-considered  and  careless  plans,  and  to 
hasty  and  imperfect  work  in  proclaiming,  making 
plain,  and  enforcing  the  truth  of  Christ.  A  distin- 
guished soldier,  who  had  made  a  careful  study  of  the 
war  between  Russia  and  Japan,  said,  "  This  war  has 
borne  into  my  mind  in  a  way  that  nothing  else  could 
have  done,  the  conviction  that  nothing  but  the  very 
best  will  do."  How  much  more  true  it  is  that  in  the 
conflict  of  Christianity  with  the  non-Christian  re- 
ligions, the  greatest  thoroughness  in  the  making  and 
execution  of  plans  is  required.  A  review  of  the  mis- 
sion fields  and  methods  with  a  view  to  the  accomplish- 


108  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

ment  of  the  world-wide  missionary  duty  of  the  Church 
accentuates  the  importance  of  careful  study  of  the 
problems  involved  in  the  world's  evangelization.  The 
consideration  of  the  historic  development  of  missions 
in  their  extension  and  method  is  the  foundation  of  all 
wise  advance.  Such  study  of  the  present  problems 
and  of  the  historical  development  of  missions  is  funda- 
mental to  the  wisest  and  most  thorough  planning.  The 
missionary  movement  to-day,  possibly  more  than  ever 
before,  calls  for  thinkers  and  for  missionary  statesmen. 
The  campaign  should  also  be  adequate  in  strategy. 
There  are  strategic  races,  nations,  and  regions,  the 
reaching  of  which  for  Christ  and  the  Church  will 
simplify  the  problem  of  reaching  peoples  elsewhere. 
The  Chinese  race  is  a  good  illustration.  Its  popula- 
tion of  400,000,000  constitutes  one-fourth  of  the  human 
race.  It  is  located  in  the  zone  of  power  "  where  man 
has  attained  his  highest  development  physically  and 
mentally."  It  has  preserved  its  integrity  through  its 
unbroken  history  of  4000  years,  and  with  such  national 
stability  it  combines  the  characteristics  which  have 
marked  the  greatest  races — industry,  frugality,  pa- 
tience, tenacity,  great  physical  vigor,  intellectual  vigor 
as  well,  independence,  and  conservatism.  The  Chinese 
are  moreover  great  colonizers,  and  have  already  gone 
out  and  established  themselves  on  all  the  continents 
and  in  many  of  the  Pacific  Islands.  They  have  been 
called  the  "  Anglo-Saxons  of  the  Orient,"  and  destiny 
indeed  seems  to  have  fitted  them  to  play  as  great  a 
part  in  the  future  of  the  world  as  the  Anglo-Saxons 
have  played  in  the  past.     In  bringing  Christ  to  this 


AN  ADEQUATE  PLAN  109 

people,  therefore,  the  Church  is  not  only  directly  reach- 
ing one-third  of  the  unevangelized  population  of  the 
world,  but  is  also  indirectly  influencing  the  future  of 
Christianity  in  other  parts  of  the  world. 

There  are  a  number  of  principles  that  should  govern  Strategic 
the  strategy  of  the  Church  in  determining  the  order  Principles 
in  which  it  should  concentrate  its  attention  upon  differ- 
ent fields.  No  attempt  is  made  to  give  them  in  order  of 
their  relative  importance,  because  this  must  necessarily 
vary  with  each  particular  case.  They  are :  ( 1 )  Accessi- 
bility, openness,  and  willingness  to  attend  to  the  Gospel 
message.  During  the  past  ten  years  the  peoples  of 
pagan  Africa  have  been  peculiarly  ready  to  listen  to  the 
presentation  of  the  facts  and  arguments  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion.  (2)  The  responsiveness  of  the  field.  Ko- 
rea and  Manchuria  are  examples  of  nations  in  which 
the  people  of  every  community  show  readiness  to  yield 
to  the  claims  of  Christ  when  presented  to  them.  (3) 
The  presence  or  concentration  of  large  numbers  of 
people.  Obviously,  the  Chengtu  plain  of  the  western- 
most province  of  China,  with  its  population  of  1700 
to  the  square  mile,  or  the  densely  populated  valleys  of 
the  Ganges  and  lower  Nile,  should  receive  attention 
commensurate  with  the  massing  of  the  people.  (4) 
Previous  neglect.  With  a  Gospel  intended  for  all 
mankind  the  policy  of  the  Church  should  be  influenced 
by  the  existence  of  any  totally  unoccupied  field,  like 
extensive  tracts  of  the  Sudan.  (5)  Conditions  of 
gross  ignorance,  social  degradation,  and  spiritual  need. 
Christ  came  in  a  special  sense  to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost,  and  the  history  of  the  Christian  Church 


HO  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

has  abundantly  shown  how  the  blessing  of  God  has 
attended  efforts  to  reach  the  most  unfortunate  and 
depressed  classes  and  peoples,  such  as  the  Pacific 
Islanders,  the  outcastes  of  India,  the  lepers,  and  the 
aboriginal  tribes  of  the  East  Indies.  (6)  As  has  al- 
ready been  made  plain,  the  Church,  while  recognizing 
the  importance  of  advancing  along  lines  of  largest  im- 
mediate promise,  should,  under  divine  guidance,  direct 
special  attention  to  the  most  difficult  fields  of  the  non- 
Christian  world.  In  the  light  of  this  principle  Moslem 
lands  present  an  irresistible  appeal  to  the  Church. 
(7)  The  prospective  power  and  usefulness  of  a  nation 
as  a  factor  in  the  establishment  of  Christ's  Kingdom 
in  the  world,  and  the  probable  weight  of  its  example 
as  an  influence  over  other  nations.  Japan  is  especially 
fitted  to  become  in  intellectual  and  moral  matters,  no 
less  than  in  material  civilization,  the  leader  of  the 
Orient.  This  attaches  transcendent  importance  to 
its  attitude  toward  Christianity.  (8)  The  principle 
of  urgency  should  as  a  rule  have  the  right  of  way ;  that 
is,  if  there  is  to-day  an  opportunity  to  reach  a  people 
or  section  which  in  all  probability  will  soon  be  gone, 
the  Church  should  enter  the  door  at  once ;  for  example, 
if  there  is  a  danger  that  the  field  may  be  pre-occupied 
by  other  religions  or  by  influences  adverse  to  Christian- 
ity. Equatorial  Africa  in  a  most  striking  degree  is 
just  now  such  a  battle-ground.  It  is  plain  to  every  ob- 
server that  unless  Christianity  extends  its  ministry  to 
the  tribes  throughout  this  part  of  Africa  the  ground 
will  in  a  short  time  be  occupied  by  Mohammedanism. 
Commission  Commission  I  of  the  World  Missionary  Conference 


AN  ADEQUATE  PLAN  III 

has  sought  to  apply  these  principles  to  the  missionary 
problems  of  the  present  day.  The  following  extract 
from  the  findings  which  they  submitted  to  the  Con- 
ference as  the  result  of  their  deliberations  is,  therefore, 
of  great  interest  and  significance: 

"  The  Commission  would  direct  attention  to  the  fol-   Two  Classes 
lowing  fields  as  of  special  urgency  in  respect  of  the   of  Fields 
prosecution  of  missionary  work : 

"  i.  Fields  on  which  the  Church  as  a  whole  should 
concentrate  attention  and  effort. 

"(a)  In  China  there  is  at  this  moment  a  unique  op- 
portunity which  is  fraught  with  far-reaching  issues  for 
the  future  not  only  of  China  and  of  the  whole  East,  but 
also  of  Christendom. 

"(b)  The  threatening  advance  of  Islam  in  Equa- 
torial Africa  presents  to  the  Church  of  Christ  the  de- 
cisive question  whether  the  Dark  Continent  shall  be- 
come Mohammedan  or  Christian. 

"(c)  The  national  and  spiritual  movements  in  India, 
awakening  its  ancient  peoples  to  a  vivid  consciousness 
of  their  needs  and  possibilities,  present  a  strong 
challenge  to  Christian  missions  to  enlarge  and  deepen 
their  work. 

"(d)  The  problems  of  the  Mohammedan  World, 
especially  in  the  Near  East,  which,  until  recently,  re- 
ceived little  consideration  from  the  Church  at  large, 
have  been  lifted  unexpectedly  into  prominence  and 
urgency,  as  well  as  into  new  relations,  by  the  mar- 
velous changes  which  have  taken  place  in  Turkey  and 
Persia.  One  of  the  important  tasks  before  the  Church 
at  this  time  is  to  deal  adequately  with  these  problems. 


112 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Efforts  of 
Societies 


Strengthen- 
ing of  Forces 


Decaying 
Primitive 
Faiths 


"  2.  Fields  which  do  not  claim  the  attention  of  the 
Church  as  a  whole,  but  which  demand  additional  effort 
on  the  part  of  the  Societies  already  in  some  measure 
occupying  them: 

"  In  Korea  an  evangelistic  movement  extending 
rapidly  over  the  land  calls  for  a  great  strengthening  of 
the  missionary  force.  In  Japan  the  mission  work 
which  has  been  centered  in  the  great  towns  and  among 
the  higher  middle  classes  requires  to  be  expanded  effec- 
tively over  the  country,  and  among  all  classes.  In 
Malaya,  Christian  missions  must  strain  every  nerve  to 
prevent  Islam  from  gaining  the  heathen  tribes,  and  to 
win  them  for  Christ.  Siam  and  Laos  also  present  an 
urgent  appeal  for  an  aggressive  advance.  In  Mela- 
nesia, a  multitude  of  tribes  in  New  Guinea,  and  other 
islands,  are  opening  in  quick  succession  to  Christian 
influences.  In  various  fields  of  pagan  Africa,  the 
Christian  missions  which  have  been  planted  are  con- 
fronted by  immense  opportunities  among  those  who 
are  waiting  for  Gospel  teaching,  but  who  cannot  be 
reached  by  the  forces  now  on  the  field. 

"  The  rapid  disintegration  of  the  animistic  and 
fetishistic  beliefs  of  primitive  peoples  in  most  of  the 
lands  in  the  preceding  lists  presents  an  important  prob- 
lem. Most  of  these  peoples  will  have  lost  their  ancient 
faiths  within  a  generation,  and  will  accept  that  culture- 
religion  with  which  they  first  come  in  contact.  The 
responsibility  of  the  Church  is  grave  to  bring  the  Gos- 
pel to  them  quickly,  as  the  only  sufficient  substitute 
for  their  decaying  faiths." 

In  view  of  the  present  comparatively  limited   re- 


Resources 


AN  ADEQUATE   PLAN  1 13 

sources  of  the  missionary  societies  many  Christian  Call  for 
leaders  unite  in  the  belief,  not  only  that  the  fields  Latent 
emphasized  in  the  foregoing  finding  are  of  special 
urgency,  but  also  that  the  relative  order  in  which  the 
Church  should  concentrate  attention  upon  them  is 
given  in  the  order  of  sequence  of  the  fields  named  in 
the  two  lists  of  this  finding.  But  the  present  resources 
of  the  Missionary  Societies  are  not  a  measure  of  the 
latent  resources  of  the  Church.  Such  boundless, 
though  as  yet  unrealized  resources  should  not  be  over- 
looked in  determining  the  plan  for  the  evangelization 
of  the  world.  The  following  conviction,  expressed  by 
the  Commission  at  the  end  of  the  second  finding,  is 
based  upon  this  vital  consideration: 

"  The  enumeration  of  these  fields  might  seem  to  Regular 
suggest  that  the  Church  is  not  able  to  deal  adequately  Sustained 
and  simultaneously  with  the  entire  non-Christian 
world.  But  the  Commission  declines  to  concede  that 
this  is  so.  After  facing  the  facts,  we  share  the  con- 
viction of  the  large  majority  of  our  correspondents 
that  the  Church  of  Christ,  if  it  puts  forth  its  strength, 
is  well  able  to  carry  the  Gospel  to  all  these  fields  imme- 
diately. While  we  recognize  the  greater  urgency  in 
the  case  of  certain  fields,  we  find  it  impossible  in  the 
light  of  the  needs  of  men,  the  command  of  Christ,  and 
the  resources  of  the  Church,  to  delay  giving  to  any 
people  the  opportunity  to  learn  of  Him.  The  point 
of  chief  emphasis  is,  that  what  the  Church  expects  to 
do  anywhere  it  must  do  soon.  What  is  needed  is  a 
regular,  sustained  advance  all  along  the  line,  in  which 
all  agencies  shall  be  utilized  and  multiplied  until  they 


Advance 


ii4 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Strategic 
Classes — 
Students 


are  co-extensive  with  the  need  of  the  entire  world." 
This  well  expresses  the  urgent  duty  of  the  Church. 

An  adequate  strategy  recognizes  that  there  are  strat- 
egic classes  as  well  as  strategic  races  and  nations. 
Prominent  among  these  are  the  students  of  the  non- 
Christian  world,  and  of  the  Roman  and  Greek  Catholic 
countries.  There  are  at  present  over  500,000  students 
in  the  government  institutions  of  higher  learning  in 
Asia  alone,  and  were  the  number  of  students  in  mis- 
sion schools  and  private  institutions  added,  the  total 
would  be  greatly  augmented.  In  addition  to  these  are 
large  and  increasing  numbers  of  students  in  Africa  and 
other  parts  of  the  non-Christian  world.  The  German 
proverb  should  be  borne  in  mind,  "  What  you  would 
put  into  the  life  of  a  nation,  put  into  its  schools."  The 
schools,  colleges,  and  universities  are  training  the 
leaders  of  these  nations.  The  teacher  and  the  scholar 
wield  a  larger  influence,  if  possible,  in  the  East  than  in 
the  West.  The  various  learned  professions  are  in  their 
hands ;  they  are  laying  the  foundations  and  rearing  the 
structure  of  Western  civilization ;  in  some  of  these 
lands  they  are  the  dominant  factor  in  the  political  life, 
while  in  all  non-Christian  countries  their  political  in- 
fluence is  steadily  increasing.  As  already  seen,  the  in- 
fluence of  Western  learning  has  been  in  the  direction 
of  undermining  the  faith  of  the  student  class  in  the 
non-Christian  religions  and  of  breaking  up  the  social 
and  ethical  restraints  of  the  old  civilizations.  As  a  re- 
sult, in  many  parts  of  the  non-Christian  world,  the 
students,  as  a  class,  are  drifting  into  agnosticism  or  in- 
difference to  religion.     In  such  countries  also  as  Russia 


AN  ADEQUATE  PLAN  1 15 

and  the  South  American  Republics  the  students,  as  a 
class,  are  virtually  without  religion.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  introduction  of  Western  learning  has  opened  the 
minds  of  the  students  of  Asia  and  Africa  to  the  re- 
ligious as  well  as  to  the  other  truth  which  the  West  has 
to  bring.  Nothing  could  be  more  important,  therefore, 
from  the  point  of  view  of  successful  strategy  than 
reaching  the  student  class  for  Christ.  No  part  of  mis- 
sionary effort  has  been  more  fruitful  in  proportion  to 
the  attention  and  strength  expended  upon  it  than  Chris- 
tian work  for  the  educated  classes.  This  is  especially 
true  of  those  phases  of  work  in  which  the  Christian 
students  have  been  organized  to  work  among  their 
fellow  students. 

The  commercial  classes  should  receive  larger  atten-  Commercial 
tion  on  the  part  of  the  missionary  movement.  One  of  Class 
the  most  pressing  problems  of  missions  is  that  of  de- 
veloping self-supporting  churches,  for  it  is  essential 
to  the  wide  and  permanent  extension  of  Christianity 
that  the  native  Church  should  be  free  from  dependence 
on  foreign  support.  Until  it  is  independent,  it  will  not 
have  the  resources  to  do  extensive  work  among  the 
people  of  its  own  nation,  nor  will  it  feel  its  full  re- 
sponsibility to  do  such  work.  But  if  self-support  is 
an  essential,  special  effort  must  be  made  to  win  the 
commercial  classes,  since  the  obtaining  of  the  neces- 
sary funds  is  largely  dependent  upon  enlisting  their 
interest,  sympathy,  and  co-operation.  It  is  too  true 
that  in  most  mission  fields  these  classes  have  been 
hitherto  largely  unreached  by  missionary  effort,  but 
this  is  for  the  most  part  the  fault  of  the  Church  and  its 


n6 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


must  be 
Reached 


methods.     It  is  encouraging  to  note  that  wherever  the 
Church  has  adapted  its  methods  to  reach  these  classes, 
they  have  been  appreciative  and  responsive. 
Masses  or  In  considering  the  strategy  involved  in  enlisting  for 

Lower  Classes  the  plans  of  the  Kingdom  certain  classes,  the  mistake 
should  not  be  made  of  confining  attention  exclusively 
to  those  more  favored  and  influential.  This  would  be 
to  overlook  the  deep  lesson  of  Christ's  own  practice 
and  the  teaching  of  Church  history,  that  if  the  cause 
of  Christianity  is  to  be  widely  pervasive  and  triumph- 
ant in  any  country,  it  must  lay  strong  hold  on  the  lower 
classes  or  masses.  Dr.  J.  P.  Jones,  of  Madura,  India, 
aptly  expresses  this  truth :  "  I  believe  that  the  masses 
and  not  the  classes  should  receive  our  greatest  care. 
It  is  no  disgrace  to  Christianity,  indeed  it  is  its  glory, 
that  it  has,  for  the  last  2000  years,  first  reached  and 
transformed  the  lower  strata  of  society,  and  has  passed 
on  through  such  to  the  highest,  in  its  influence  and 
potency.  It  is  doing  the  same  thing  in  India  to-day, 
and  its  growing  influence  over  the  outcastes  is  one  of 
the  healthful  and  sure  signs  of  the  ultimate  dominance 
of  our  faith  in  that  land.  By  bringing  them  to  Christ, 
the  whole  fabric  of  Hindu  society  will  be  undermined 
and  will  soon  topple  over,  and  there  will  be  a  great  in- 
gathering of  the  classes  of  India  into  the  Kingdom  of 
our  Lord." 

From  the  early  days  of  Christianity,  the  Church  in 
its  strategy  has  recognized  the  wisdom  of  concentrating 
its  attention  upon  strategic  places.  Any  cause,  to 
possess  a  country,  must  concern  itself  with  the  centers 
of  political,  commercial,  educational,  and  social  im- 


Strategic 
Places 


AN  ADEQUATE  PLAN  117 

portance  and  influence.  Such  strategy  is  pre-eminently 
called  for  in  those  countries  of  the  non-Christian 
world,  such  as  China  and  Japan,  which  have  many 
large  cities.  It  would  be  difficult  to  overstate  the  im- 
portance of  establishing  the  Christian  forces  and  in- 
stitutions in  great  strength  in  a  city  like  Tokyo,  which 
in  a  very  true  sense  dominates  the  Japanese  Empire. 
A  statesmanlike,  constructive,  and  thoroughly  spiritual 
work  in  Constantinople  or  Cairo  will  exert  an  influence 
throughout  the  vast  Mohammedan  world.  An  impres- 
sive object-lesson  of  what  Christianity  can  do,  if  it  is 
given  in  gateway  cities  like  Shanghai,  Bombay,  and 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  will  affect  entire  countries.  Years  ago 
the  Rev.  J.  Hudson  Taylor,  the  founder  of  the  China 
Inland  Mission,  worked  out  in  a  masterly  way  the  plan 
of  so  locating  the  missionary  forces  as  to  influence 
most  widely  all  China.  The  following  is  his  own  de- 
scription of  the  plan  which  has,  in  the  main,  been  car- 
ried out  by  that  Mission :  "  All  the  operations  of  the 
Mission  are  systematic  and  methodical,  and  in  accord- 
ance with  the  integral  parts  of  one  general  and  compre- 
hensive plan  for  the  evangelization  of  the  whole  of 
China ;  the  aim  of  the  Mission  being,  not  to  secure  in 
a  short  time  the  largest  number  of  converts  for  the 
China  Inland  Mission  from  a  limited  area,  but  to  bring 
about  in  the  shortest  time  the  evangelization  of  the 
whole  empire,  regarding  it  of  secondary  importance 
by  whom  the  sheaves  may  be  garnered.  Thus,  in 
occupying  a  new  province,  the  first  station,  if  practic- 
able, is  opened  in  the  capital,  though  it  is  well  known 
that  this  is  the  most  difficult  place  in  the  province  in 


n8 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Distribution 
of  Forces 


Density  of 
Population 


which  to  gather  a  church.  The  next  step  is,  if  possible, 
to  open  stations  in  the  chief  prefectures,  then  in  sub- 
ordinate ones,  leaving,  as  a  rule,  places  of  less  im- 
portance to  be  occupied  later  on.  If  the  staff  thus 
needed  were  concentrated  in  a  country  district,  a  large 
number  of  converts  might  be  expected  in  a  few  years ; 
but  the  influence  of  these  country  Christians  would  not 
be  likely  to  extend  beyond  the  boundary  of  their  own 
villages.  By  the  before-mentioned  plan,  centers  are 
opened  from  which  the  Gospel  may  be  diffused 
throughout  the  whole  extent  of  a  province." 

In  all  consideration  of  missionary  strategy,  one  of 
the  questions  demanding  solution  is  that  of  the  proper 
distribution  of  the  missionary  forces.  Strategy  con- 
cerns itself  not  only  with  the  country  to  be  entered 
and  the  forces  which  oppose,  but  also  with  the  forces 
to  be  wielded  in  the  campaign  and  with  the  resources 
at  their  disposal.  The  experience  throughout  the  mis- 
sion field  suggests  certain  guiding  principles  as  to  how 
best  to  utilize  the  comparatively  insufficient  yet  valu- 
able forces  at  the  disposal  of  the  Church,  so  as  to 
make  Christ  known  to  the  largest  possible  number  of 
people  and  to  build  up  strong  and  enduring  churches. 

( i )  One  factor  in  determining  the  distribution  of  the 
missionary  forces  is  the  density  of  the  population  to 
be  evangelized.  Wherever  the  population  is  very 
sparse,  as  among  the  nomads  of  Central  Asia  or  in 
parts  of  Africa,  there  is  no  need  of  concentrating  a 
large  number  of  workers  at  the  mission  stations :  it  is 
more  desirable  that  they  should  be  distributed  over  a 
wide  area.     Quite  different  is  the  situation  in  densely 


AN  ADEQUATE  PLAN  119 

populated  countries  like  Japan  and  the  larger  part  of 
China,  where  large  cities,  whose  influence  radiates  over 
the  surrounding  districts  and  neighboring  villages,  pro- 
vide great  opportunities  for  mission  work.  In  such 
regions  the  plan  should  be  to  establish  strong  stations, 
adequately  manned.  Even  in  such  densely  populated 
districts,  however,  missionary  leaders  have  advocated 
two  different  lines  of  policy.  Some  have  advised  that 
the  mission  concentrate  its  attention  on  the  building  up 
of  the  Christian  community  which  is  already  under  its 
influence,  and  on  the  training  of  native  Christian  work- 
ers in  order  to  have  them  do  the  work  of  evangelization 
in  the  outlying  regions.  This  may  be  described  as  the 
policy  of  concentration.  Other  leaders  have  advocated 
that  the  mission  should  direct  its  efforts  mainly  to  the 
surrounding  non-Christian  peoples  with  the  view  of 
evangelizing  the  whole  region  as  speedily  as  possible. 
This  may  be  called  the  policy  of  diffusion.  These  two 
policies  are,  however,  not  permanently  in  conflict.  One 
of  them  must  invariably  lead  into  the  other  before  any 
district  can  be  completely  evangelized.  The  policy  of 
concentration,  when  effectively  followed,  must  result 
in  wide  evangelization  by  the  native  workers  who  have 
been  trained  up  for  this  purpose.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  policy  of  diffusion,  if  successful  in  influencing  a 
large  number  to  become  Christians,  makes  it  important 
to  follow  up  the  work  by  instructing  the  inquirers,  or- 
ganizing the  converts  into  churches,  and  training  them 
for  Christian  service.  Which  of  the  two  policies  is  to 
be  followed  first  is  one  of  the  problems  which  ought  to 
be  solved  in  any  adequate  plan. 


120 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Relative 
Culture 
of  People 


Native  Church 
and  Workers 


(2)  The  temperamental  characteristics,  the  state  of 
culture,  and  the  religion  of  the  people  to  be  evangelized, 
have  much  to  do  with  determining  the  proper  distribu- 
tion of  the  forces.  It  makes  a  great  deal  of  difference 
whether  the  people  are  ignorant  and  superstitious 
tribes  in  the  heart  of  Africa,  or  whether  they  constitute 
the  highly  civilized  inhabitants  of  the  more  enlightened 
parts  of  the  Orient,  who  may,  in  addition,  have  availed 
themselves  of  Western  education.  The  former  will 
not  require  a  missionary  staff  so  large,  nor  one  includ- 
ing so  many  experts  as  will  the  latter.  The  great  and 
highly  organized  religions  present  a  stronger  resistance 
than  the  simpler  nature-worship  of  barbarous  tribes, 
and  they  would  therefore  require  a  larger  and  better- 
equipped  staff  of  workers.  Perhaps  it  might  be  laid 
down  as  an  axiom  that  whatever  force  is  stationed  in  a 
district  ought  to  be  of  sufficient  strength  and  ade- 
quacy of  equipment  to  make  itself  strongly  felt  in 
spite  of  all  the  difficulties. 

(3)  Another  factor  which  largely  influences  the  dis- 
position of  the  forces  is  the  number  and  character  of 
the  native  Christian  workers  and  the  strength  of  the 
native  Church.  As  the  native  leaders  become  able  to 
administer  the  native  Church  and  care  for  it  spiritually, 
the  missionaries  are  relieved  of  a  great  responsibility 
and  can  thus  devote  themselves  more  largely  to  extend- 
ing the  missionary  movement  into  unevangelized  re- 
gions. At  the  same  time  the  most  highly  multiplying 
work  which  the  missionary  can  do,  in  the  interest  of 
accomplishing  the  evangelization  of  a  country,  is  that 
of  raising  up  and  training  an  adequate  staff  of  native 


AN  ADEQUATE  PLAN  121 

workers  and  of  communicating  to  them  the  evangelistic 
spirit. 

(4)  Another  principle  which  some  missions  are  Responding 
prone  to  overlook  is  that  of  readjusting  the  mission  t0  Changed 
forces  from  time  to  time  in  order  better  to  meet  chang-  on  l  ons 
ing  conditions.  The  present  situation  in  China  and 
Japan,  for  example,  is  entirely  different  from  that 
which  existed  at  the  time  when  the  missionaries  were 
obliged  to  reside  in  a  few  city  centers,  and  concentrate 
the  entire  missionary  forces  in  these.  When  later  the 
revision  of  the  treaties  made  it  possible  for  mission- 
aries to  reside  and  work  in  the  interior,  some  of  the 
missions  adjusted  themselves  to  the  changed  conditions, 
but  since  then  conditions  have  very  largely  changed 
again.  There  is  need  that  the  foreign  and  native  lead- 
ers on  each  mission  field  should  make  a  fresh  study  of 
the  present  distribution  of  the  forces  with  a  view  to 
bringing  about  any  further  needed  adjustments  and 
enlargements. 

Quite  as  important  as  the  plan,  no  matter  how  well   A  Spirit  of 
devised  and  no  matter  how  great  the  forces  for  carry-   Intensity 
ing  it  into  execution,  is  the  spirit  in  which  it  is  con-   an      m^ 
ceived  and  with  which  it  is  carried  out.    It  calls  for  a 
spirit  of  unwearying  patience,  of  great  intensity,  of  con- 
tagious enthusiasm,  of  undaunted  heroism,  of  triumph- 
ant faith,  and  of  Christlike  sympathy.     Moreover,  the 
hope  of  real  success  in  taking  the  Gospel  to  all  the  non- 
Christian  world  in  our  day  is  in  a  campaign  character- 
ized by  the  spirit  of  unity.     God  is  unmistakably  sum- 
moning the  missionary  forces  of  the  Church,  both  at 
home  and  abroad,  to  a  larger  and  truer  unity.     It  would 


122  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

seem  that  at  such  a  time  of  opportunity  and  crisis  as 
the  present,  the  overlapping,  friction,  and  waste  result- 
ing from  the  lack  of  unity  is  nothing  less  than  griev- 
ously sinful.  Much  can  and  ought  to  be  done  to  avoid 
such  overlapping,  which  is  evidenced  not  only  in  estab- 
lishing mission  stations  in  the  same  neighborhood,  but 
also  in  duplicating  different  branches  of  work,  such  as 
colleges,  hospitals,  and  mission  printing-presses.  It 
may  be  that  this  will  involve  apparent  sacrifice,  some 
uprooting  and  transplanting,  and  much  mutual  con- 
sideration on  the  part  of  different  missionary  societies 
working  in  the  same  field,  but  this  should  not  be 
allowed  to  interfere  with  greater  efficiency.  It  is  be- 
lieved by  students  of  the  missionary  problem  that  a 
comprehensive  plan  of  co-operation  in  the  missionary 
work  of  the  various  Christian  communions,  entered 
into  and  carried  out  in  a  realizing  sense  of  our  oneness 
in  Christ,  would  be  the  equivalent  of  doubling  the  mis- 
sionary forces.  The  Commission  on  Co-operation  and 
the  Promotion  of  Unity,  in  their  Report  at  the  World 
Missionary  Conference,  voiced  in  the  following 
language  the  convictions  of  a  large  and  rapidly  in- 
creasing number  of  Christians  throughout  the  world, 
both  as  to  the  urgent  necessity  of  such  a  unity  and  as 
to  the  real  secret  of  realizing  it : 

"  The  time  is  short ;  the  day  of  our  opportunity  is 
limited.  These  intellectual,  moral,  and  social  revolu- 
tions are  taking  place  with  unprecedented  rapidity. 
And  it  is  more  than  ever  incumbent  on  the  Christian 
Church  to  realize  its  responsibility  to  carry  the  Gospel 
to  the  lands  which  are  now  open  to  receive  it,  and  to 


AN  ADEQUATE  PLAN  123 

guide  the  awakening  nations  to  God  in  Christ.  For 
the  accomplishment  of  this  overwhelming  task  it  seems 
essential  that  the  Christian  Church  should  present  a 
united  front.  Its  divisions  are  a  source  of  weakness 
and  impair  the  effectiveness  of  its  testimony  to  the  one 
Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  which  it  professes.  The 
issues  are  so  great  that  there  can  be  no  trifling  in  the 
matter.  The  evangelization  of  nations,  the  Christian- 
izing of  empires  and  kingdoms,  is  the  object  before  us. 
The  work  has  to  be  done  now.  It  is  urgent  and  must 
be  pressed  forward  at  once.  The  enterprise  calls  for 
the  highest  quality  of  statesmanship,  and  for  the  maxi- 
mum of  efficiency  in  all  departments  of  the  work.  It 
is  not  surprising  that  those  who  are  in  the  front  of  this 
great  conflict,  and  on  whose  minds  and  souls  the  grav- 
ity of  the  issues  presses  most  immediately,  should  be 
the  first  to  recognize  the  need  for  concerted  action  and 
closer  fellowship.  .  .  .  The  Churches  in  the  mission 
field  may  lead  the  way  to  unity ;  but  they  cannot  move 
far  and  move  safely  without  the  co-operation  of  the 
Church  at  home.  The  great  issues  which  confront  us 
in  the  modern  situation  are  the  concern  of  the  whole 
Church  of  Christ;  and  the  spiritual  resources  of  the 
whole  Church  will  be  required  to  deal  with  them.  The 
solution  of  problems  so  complex  and  difficult  and  so 
vitally  related  to  the  advancement  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Christ,  can  be  attempted  only  in  a  spirit  of  penitence 
and  of  prayer.  Penitence  is  due  for  the  arrogance  of 
the  past  and  for  the  lack  of  sympathy  and  of  insight 
by  which  all  of  us  have  helped  to  create  and  perpetuate 
a  situation  that  retards  so  seriously  the  advancement  of 


124  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

Christ's  Kingdom.  Most  of  all  do  we  need  to  lament 
that  we  carry  about  with  us  so  small  a  sense  of  the 
harm  that  is  wrought  by  our  divisions,  and  so  little 
pain  for  our  lack  of  charity.  Prayer  is  needed,  because 
human  wisdom  can  discern  no  remedy  for  the  situa- 
tion. .  .  .  Whether  we  have  regard  to  the  union 
and  federation  of  native  churches,  or  to  the  reaching 
of  agreements  between  different  Missions,  or  to  the 
working  of  schemes  of  co-operative  effort,  we  believe 
that  the  real  problem  to  be  faced  is  a  moral  one. 
Schemes  of  co-operation  sometimes  break  down,  be- 
cause the  basis  on  which  they  are  attempted  is  an  im- 
possible one;  but  more  often  the  failure  lies  in  our- 
selves. If  the  movement  toward  unity  in  the  mission 
field  is  to  gather  strength  and  volume,  the  supreme  need 
is  not  for  schemes  of  union,  but,  as  has  been  well  said, 
for  apostles  of  unity.  Men  are  needed  with  sufficient 
largeness  of  mind  and  breadth  of  sympathy  to  under- 
stand the  point  of  view  of  those  with  whom  they  co- 
operate. Most  of  all,  men  are  needed  who  have  seen, 
and  who  can  lead  others  to  see,  the  vision  of  unity ; 
men  who  know  that  love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law,  and 
who  have  a  living  faith  that  God  is  able  to  do  exceed- 
ing abundantly  above  all  that  we  ask  or  think." 


THE   REQUIREMENTS   OF   THE 

PRESENT   SITUATION: 

AN  ADEQUATE  HOME   BASE 


CHAPTER   V 

THE    REQUIREMENTS    OF   THE    PRESENT    SITUATION: 
AN   ADEQUATE    HOME   BASE 

Commission  I  of  the  World  Missionary  Conference,  in  The  Home 
the  course  of  its  inquiry  into  the  problem  of  carrying  Church  the 
the  Gospel  to  all  the  non-Christian  world,  conducted  Crucial 
correspondence  with  several  hundreds  of  leading  mis- 
sionaries in  all  parts  of  the  world,  as  well  as  with 
leaders  of  the  Church  in  Christian  lands,  and,  among 
other  questions,  asked  what  constitutes  the  most  crucial 
problem  in  connection  with  the  great  missionary  task. 
It  is  a  remarkable  fact  and  one  that  gives  cause  for 
much  reflection,  that  to  this  question  the  larger  propor- 
tion of  the  correspondents,  although  face  to  face  with 
all  the  difficulties  of  the  work  abroad,  agree  in  reply- 
ing, "  The  state  of  the  home  Church."  They  feel 
that  the  apathy  and  indifference  manifested  to-day 
among  Christians  at  home  are  the  greatest  discourage- 
ments and  hindrances  to  the  extension  of  the  mission- 
aries' work.  Any  plan  such  as  has  been  outlined  in 
the  last  chapter  will  be  comparatively  useless  if  there 
be  not  a  great  advance  in  the  home  field  in  missionary 
interest,  spirit,  and  activity,  for  it  is  on  the  home 
Church  that  the  foreign  work  depends  for  its  inspira- 
tion, guidance,  and   support.      It  is  of  the  first  im- 

127 


128 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Need  of  Able 

Missionary 

Leaders 


Seers, 

Thinkers, 

Statesmen 


portance,  therefore,  that  we  consider  the  factors  essen- 
tial to  the  home  Church,  if  it  is  to  form  an  adequate 
directing  and  supporting  base  of  the  missionary  effort 
abroad. 

The  first  is  an  able  leadership  of  the  missionary 
forces  on  the  home  field.  No  movement  more  than 
that  of  foreign  missions  demands  the  ablest  leaders. 
The  magnitude  of  this  enterprise  calls  for  men  of  large 
capacity  to  lead  it.  The  peculiar  complexity  and  diffi- 
culty of  the  problems  to  be  solved,  concerning  as  they 
do  so  many  races,  religions,  and  social  conditions,  can 
be  met  only  by  men  of  vision  and  of  great  directive 
power.  The  fact  that  the  missionary  movement  must 
be  projected  and  conducted  at  long  range  makes  it 
essential  that  its  leadership  be  intrusted  only  to  men 
of  the  highest  qualifications.  As  modern  missions  are 
a  comparatively  recent  undertaking  and  as  there  are 
still  so  many  fields  virtually  unentered,  able  men  are 
needed  to  set  the  right  precedents  and  to  lay  secure 
foundations.  For  the  sake  of  the  missionaries  at  the 
front,  men  who  can  and  will  command  their  confidence 
and  devoted  following  are  indispensable.  Too  little 
attention  has  in  the  past  been  paid  to  secure  the  right 
men  for  this  work,  and  the  missionary  movement  has 
suffered  accordingly.  The  fact  that  a  more  triumph- 
ant advance  is  not  being  made  in  parts  of  the  non- 
Christian  world  in  the  face  of  most  inspiring  oppor- 
tunities is  due  largely  to  a  lack  of  wise  and  sufficient 
directive  energy  at  the  home  base. 

The  leaders  demanded  must  be  men  of  clear  and 
strong  convictions  as  to  the  absolute  need  and  infinite 


AN  ADEQUATE  HOME  BASE  129 

importance  of  the  missionary  enterprise  and  the 
peculiar  urgency  of  the  present  situation.  They  must 
be  men  of  originality  and  courageous  initiative,  able  to 
guide  both  in  pioneer  and  constructive  processes.  They 
must  have  the  power  and  disposition  to  think  through 
the  plans  and  problems  and  to  master  baffling  condi- 
tions. To  a  rare  degree  they  need  the  gift  of  imagina- 
tion in  order  to  see  the  foreign  conditions  and  to  place 
themselves  at  the  point  of  view  of  those  whom  they 
are  to  serve.  They  should  have  power  to  inspire  the 
confidence  and  to  arouse  the  enthusiasm  of  the  lay  and 
clerical  leaders  in  the  home  Church,  and,  especially  at 
this  stage  of  the  missionary  enterprise,  should  be  men 
of  breadth,  insight,  and  sympathy,  qualified  to  develop 
along  wise  lines  the  growing  movements  of  co-ordina- 
tion, co-operation,  federation,  and  union.  In  a  word, 
the  leadership  of  modern  missions  requires  seers, 
thinkers,  statesmen. 

In  addition  to  able  leaders  to  guide  the  operations  of   Strong 
the  missionary  societies  of  the  different  Christian  com-   Clerical 
munions,  there  is  need  of  an  able  leadership  in  the  Leaders 
various  churches,  parishes,  or  congregations.     In  a 
later  section  the  important  part  to  be  taken  by  laymen 
will  be  specially  emphasized.    Without  doubt,  however, 
it  is  true  that  the  Christian  ministry  holds  the  key  to 
the  missionary  problem.      If  the  clergy  are  keenly  in- 
terested in  foreign  missions,  if  they  are  aflame  with 
the  missionary  passion,  if  they  believe  that  there  is  no 
other  work  more  important  than  that  of  leading  the 
forces  of  the  Church  to  the  conquest  of  the  world  for 
Christ,  then  the  larger  part  of  the  problems  of  mis- 


13° 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Leaders 
among  Young 
People  and 
Others 


Educational 
and  Training 
Movements 


sions,  which  depend  so  much  for  their  solution  on  the 
intelligent  and  devoted  backing  of  the  communicant 
church  membership,  will  be  solved.  Much  more  atten- 
tion must  be  paid  to  giving  the  subject  of  foreign  mis- 
sions its  proper  place  in  all  the  home  theological  sem- 
inaries. And  even  in  addition  to  this  there  should  be 
more  comprehensive  and  constant  efforts  to  cultivate 
the  missionary  interest  in  the  schools,  and  also  in  the 
young  people's  societies  of  the  Church,  from  which  the 
ranks  of  the  Christian  ministry  are  recruited. 

Leadership,  however,  is  not  confined  to  the  mission- 
ary boards  and  the  clergy.  Those  who  lead  in  the 
work  of  the  young  people  of  the  Church  may  play  an 
equally  important  part  in  the  missionary  movement, 
for  it  is  from  them  that  the  future  leaders  of  the 
Church,  clerical  and  lay,  are  being  raised  up,  and  men 
and  women  enlisted  to  carry  on  its  varied  activities.  In 
the  end  it  is  by  young  people  that  young  people  are  led, 
and  in  every  congregation  there  is  need  for  men  and 
women  who  will  lead  their  fellows  into  an  active  in- 
terest in  missions.  Any  one  who  has  the  power  of 
leadership,  and  will  take  upon  himself  this  responsi- 
bility, may  play  an  important  part  in  the  world's 
evangelization. 

The  work  of  the  Young  People's  Missionary  Move- 
ment and  of  various  other  organizations  and  move- 
ments among  young  men  and  young  women  of  the 
different  Christian  communions  is,  therefore,  of  funda- 
mental importance,  involving  as  it  does  the  raising  up 
of  the  clerical  and  lay  leadership  of  the  Church  and 
the  enlisting  of  others  who  are  to  carry  on  its  varied 


AN  ADEQUATE  HOME   BASE  131 

activities.  The  workers  and  members  in  all  these 
societies  should  bear  in  mind  that  in  doing  well  the 
work  in  which  they  are  engaged  in  the  realms  of  mis- 
sion study,  of  Bible  study,  of  social  service,  of  promot- 
ing the  cause  of  missions  by  enlisting  interest,  gifts, 
and  intercession,  they  are  not  only  directly  accomplish- 
ing great  good,  but  also  are  indirectly  rendering  a 
valuable  service  to  the  Church  in  affording  a  school  of 
practical  training  for  meeting  the  responsibilities  which 
await  them  in  the  missionary  work  of  the  Church. 
Conferences  of  workers  among  young  people,  especially 
secretaries,  for  developing  missionary  interest  among 
young  people,  and  any  other  methods  of  improving  the 
leadership  of  the  young  people's  work  in  the  different 
parishes,  are  all  helping  in  a  most  practical  way  to 
realize  the  missionary  purpose  of  the  Church. 

In  addition  to  the  need  for  leaders  a  far  larger  num-  Large  In- 
ber  of  missionary  candidates  than  is  now  forthcoming  crease  in 
is  required  to  meet  the  present  situation.  Some  mis-  Candidates 
sionary  societies  are  experiencing  difficulty  in  finding 
even  a  sufficient  number  to  fill  the  gaps  in  the  mission- 
ary ranks  caused  by  death  or  by  furloughs  enforced 
by  breakdown  in  health,  and  yet  everywhere  there  is 
an  urgent  demand  for  an  actual  increase  in  the  staff. 
More  workers  from  the  home  lands  are  needed  to 
press  into  the  great  unoccupied  regions  adjoining  fields 
where  work  is  already  being  carried  on,  and  there  are 
still  totally  unoccupied  countries  calling  for  heroic 
pioneers.  The  very  success  of  the  work  in  all  parts 
of  the  world  has,  moreover,  made  imperative  a  great 
extension  of  present  missionary  operations,  in  order 


Needed 


132  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

that  the  Church  may  reap  the  results  which  recent 
triumphs  have  made  possible.  There  are  but  few 
mission  fields  already  occupied  which  are  not  to-day 
clamoring  for  reinforcements,  because  the  present  staff 
cannot  overtake  the  work  that  is  already  laid  to  its 
hand.  Further,  the  unprecedented  crises  which  we 
have  seen  to  be  simultaneously  confronting  the  Church 
in  so  many  parts  of  the  field — crises  on  which  the  fu- 
ture of  Christianity  hinges  so  largely — present  a 
unique  appeal  for  more  missionaries. 
High  Of  far  greater  importance,  however,  than  the  in- 

Qualifications  crease  in  the  number  of  missionaries  is  it  that  men 
and  women  of  high  qualifications  be  secured  and  sent 
out  to  the  non-Christian  world.  The  foreign  mis- 
sionary service  has  always  required,  and  more  largely 
than  most  callings,  has  had,  workers  of  high  qualifica- 
tions, but  owing  to  the  rapid  spread  of  Western  educa- 
tion in  non-Christian  lands,  owing  to  the  great  social, 
intellectual,  and  religious  changes  and  movements  now 
in  progress  in  those  lands,  owing  to  the  greater  com- 
plexity of  missionary  work,  and  owing  to  the  critical 
situation  now  confronting  Christianity,  there  is  greater 
need  than  ever  of  exercising  special  care  in  the  choos- 
ing and  preparation  of  missionary  candidates.  Men  of 
all-round  qualifications  and  training  are  required. 
They  should  be  men  who  have  sound  physical  health, 
who  are  well-trained  intellectually,  and  have  the  deter- 
mination to  preserve  their  habits  of  study.  They  should 
be  open-minded  and  teachable.  They  should  be  able 
to  work  with  others  without  friction.  They  should 
have  in  large  measure  the  power  of  sympathy.      As 


AN  ADEQUATE  HOME  BASE  133 

many  of  them  are  to  be  teachers,  trainers,  superin- 
tendents, they  should  possess  the  gift  of  leadership. 
They  should  be  thoroughly  established  in  their 
belief  in  the  fundamental  points  of  the  Christian  faith, 
and  it  is  of  the  first  importance  that  they  have  the  mis- 
sionary passion,  the  desire  and  purpose  to  devote  them- 
selves unselfishly  to  the  service  of  others.  Above  all, 
they  should  be  men  of  spirituality,  who  have  estab- 
lished securely  those  habits  on  which  the  maintenance 
of  an  expanding  spiritual  life  depends.  In  view  of  the 
responsible  work  into  which  they  are  to  go,  we  can- 
not set  the  ideal  too  high,  and  if  it  be  impossible  to  find 
many  candidates  who  possess  all  of  these  traits  and 
talents,  the  effort  must  be  made  to  approximate  as 
nearly  as  possible  to  the  ideal. 

It  is  of  special  advantage  to  the  missionary  in  his  Recruits  from 
practical  work  to  have  had  a  university  or  college  edu-  t^e  Student 
cation,  and  it  is  plain,  therefore,  that  the  missionary 
societies  should  regard  the  universities  and  colleges  as 
a  principal  recruiting  ground  for  missionaries.  In  the 
United  States,  Canada,  Australasia,  and  South  Africa 
nearly  all  of  the  men  missionary  candidates  and  an  in- 
creasing number  of  the  women  candidates  are  drawn 
from  the  student  classes,  and  in  Great  Britain  this  is 
becoming  more  and  more  the  case.  The  numbers  of 
university  men  in  the  mission  field  might  be  still  fur- 
ther increased  if  greater  efforts  were  made  to  enlist  the 
services  of  the  younger  ministers,  physicians,  teachers, 
and  others  who  have  passed  from  the  universities  into 
various  spheres  of  work  at  home.  Numbers  of  these 
have  entered  upon  work  in  which  they  have  manifested 


134 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Many  Good 
Missionaries 
from  Other 
Circles 


special  adaptation  for  a  missionary  career  and  have 
acquired  valuable  experience  for  it.  These  might 
readily  be  persuaded  to  go  out  to  work  in  a  wider 
sphere. 

Nevertheless,  while  there  are  marked  advantages, 
other  things  being  equal,  in  drawing  missionary  candi- 
dates from  those  who  have  had  special  educational 
preparation,  it  is  important  that  those  who  belong  to 
other  classes  should  on  no  account  feel  themselves  de- 
terred from  offering  for  service.  On  the  continent  of 
Europe  a  majority  of  the  candidates  do  not  come  from 
the  universities,  but  receive  special  training  in  institu- 
tions provided  for  the  purpose,  and  it  is  the  experience 
of  many  missionary  societies  that  there  are  many  young 
men  and  women  who,  while  lacking  the  discipline  of 
the  higher  education,  yet  possess  in  a  rare  degree  many 
of  the  fundamental  qualifications  for  missionary  serv- 
ice, and  who,  with  special  training  under  the  direction 
of  the  societies,  may  be  prepared  for  an  efficient  mis- 
sionary career.  Not  a  few  of  those  who  have  rendered 
conspicuous  service  never  had  great  educational  ad- 
vantages ;  for  example,  Robert  Moffat  was  a  gardener, 
and  Robert  Morrison,  a  maker  of  shoe-lasts.  More- 
over, now  that  the  missionary  enterprise  has  become 
so  complex  and  therefore  calls  for  workers  possessing 
such  a  variety  of  special  qualifications,  there  are  op- 
portunities to  utilize  men  having  practical  experience 
for  such  positions  as  managers  of  printing  offices, 
superintendents  of  the  erection  of  buildings,  mission 
treasurers,  and  business  managers  of  educational  insti- 
tutions.     But  the  essential  qualification  in  all  these  is 


Movement 


AN   ADEQUATE  HOME   BASE  135 

that  they  be  men  of  deep  spirituality  in  order  that  their 
personal  influence  may  help  in  the  work  of  evangel- 
ization. Young  men  and  young  women  who  are  am- 
bitious to  place  their  lives  where  they  will  be  most  use- 
ful in  the  extension  of  Christ's  Kingdom  should  be 
encouraged  to  qualify  themselves  for  the  missionary 
career.  Every  one  who  determines  to  do  so  can  make 
himself  or  herself  fit  to  be  of  service  in  the  mission 
field,  and  every  one  who  is  willing  to  go  and  can  pass 
the  required  examination  is  needed  to-day. 

Statistics  show  that  in  North  America  and  Great  Student 
Britain,  as  well  as  in  Australasia  and  South  Africa,  Volunteer 
the  principal  agency  through  whose  instrumentality 
candidates  have  been  obtained  for  the  foreign  field  has 
been  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement.  As  a  direct 
result  of  the  work  of  this  Movement  in  these  countries 
there  have  gone  out  to  the  foreign  field  under  the  vari- 
ous missionary  societies,  within  a  little  over  twenty 
years,  over  6000  volunteers,  of  whom  about  two-thirds 
have  gone  from  North  America.  By  the  use  of  travel- 
ing secretaries,  by  the  promotion  of  mission  study  in 
the  universities  and  colleges,  through  the  circulation  of 
effective  missionary  literature,  through  student  con- 
ferences and  missionary  institutes,  and  by  the  promo- 
tion of  intercessory  prayer,  this  Movement  has  be- 
come increasingly  efficient  and  fruitful.  It  is  not  in 
any  sense  a  new  missionary  society,  but  directs  its 
energies  solely  towards  developing  missionary  interest 
among  students  and  towards  obtaining  candidates  for 
the  mission  field.  In  this  way  its  chief  function  is  to 
be  an  auxiliary  agency  to  the  missionary  societies  and 


136  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

to  supply  them  with  the  candidates  which  they  need. 
The  usefulness  of  the  Movement  in  North  America 
has  recently  been  greatly  increased  by  the  important 
step  which  it  has  taken  of  establishing  a  Candidates' 
Department,  which  serves  as  a  clearing-house  between 
the  missionary  societies  and  the  candidates.  It  has 
secretaries  in  charge  who  acquaint  themselves  with  the 
specific  needs  of  the  different  missionary  societies  and 
bring  to  the  attention  of  the  boards  students  or  others 
who  might  be  able  to  meet  these  needs.  The  British 
Movement  is  establishing  a  similar  department.  This 
is  in  every  way  a  wise  step,  and  will  make  it  much 
easier  for  the  societies  to  find  the  right  men  for  the 
right  posts. 
Men  in  Civil  The   Student   Movement   renders   the   further  im- 

positions portant  service  of  trying  to  place  upon  every  student 

who  is  to  go  out  to  the  non-Christian  world  to  engage 
in  other  than  the  missionary  calling,  a  burden  of  re- 
sponsibility for  advancing  the  interests  of  Christ's 
Kingdom.  Opportunities  for  such  service  are  multi- 
plying on  every  hand.  A  great  many  of  the  best 
engineering  students  and  those  connected  with  other 
departments  of  applied  science  are  going  in  increasing 
numbers  to  lands  like  China,  Africa,  and  Turkey  to 
help  in  their  industrial  development.  There  is  also 
a  growing  demand  for  students  from  America  and 
Europe,  both  men  and  women,  to  go  out  to  different 
parts  of  the  non-Christian  world  to  teach  in  govern- 
ment schools  and  colleges,  and  in  other  non-missionary 
institutions.  Others  also  are  sent  out  to  fill  positions 
in  the  diplomatic  and  consular  service  and  in  the  vari- 


AN  ADEQUATE  HOME   BASE  137 

ous  departments  of  the  civil  service.  It  is  almost  im- 
possible to  overestimate  the  importance  of  these  being 
men  of  genuine  Christian  character,  and  men  who,  by 
word  and  work,  will  not  only  safeguard  the  missionary 
interests  committed  to  their  charge,  but  will  also  throw 
the  full  weight  of  their  influence  on  the  side  of  Jesus 
Christ.  When  one  thinks  of  the  great  service  ren- 
dered by  such  Christian  civilians  as  Sir  Andrew  Fraser 
in  India,  Sir  Mortimer  Durand  in  Persia,  President 
Taft  in  the  Philippines,  and  Judge  Wilfley  in  China, 
one  recognizes  the  possibilities  before  young  men  who 
devote  their  lives  with  Christian  purpose  to  the  service 
of  the  Government  in  other  lands,  and  one  recognizes, 
too,  how  much  is  lost  when  the  lives  are  not  so  devoted. 
In  filling  these  men  with  the  determination  to  make 
their  influence  tell  for  Christ,  the  Student  Moverrient 
is  doing  a  work  scarcely  less  valuable  than  the  raising 
up  of  an  equal  number  of  missionaries. 

The  Student  Volunteer  Movement  occupies  a  posi-  Helpful 
tion  of  unique  importance,  but  its  activity  ought  to  be  Forces 
supplemented  in  as  many  other  ways  as  possible. 
Secretaries  of  missionary  societies,  and  also  mission- 
aries on  furlough  who  are  specially  qualified  to  in- 
fluence students  by  their  visits  to  the  different  student 
communities  and  conferences,  have  frequent  oppor- 
tunities for  exerting  their  influence.  The  Young 
People's  Missionary  Movement,  through  the  promotion 
of  missionary  intelligence  among  young  people  in  the 
churches,  including  those  in  the  Sunday  schools,  can, 
in  close  co-operation  with  the  Volunteer  Movement 
and  the  missionary  societies,  do  much  to  enlist  well- 


138 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


qualified  men  and  women  who  are  not  students  to  de- 
vote themselves  to  the  missionary  career.  Clergy,  col- 
lege professors,  and  schoolmasters  are  also  in  a  position 
to  do  perhaps  more  than  any  other  factor  or  agency  to 
increase  the  supply  of  missionaries,  because  they  are 
in  constant  touch  with  the  sources  of  supply  and  can 
exert  a  unique  influence  upon  the  lives  under  their 
guidance.  Christian  ministers,  in  particular,  in  in- 
fluencing the  home  life  and  the  spiritual  attitude  of 
parents,  can  deal  most  effectively  with  one  of  the  most 
difficult  aspects  of  the  problem  of  missionary  supply. 
It  has  too  often  been  the  case  that  the  indifference  or 
the  opposition  of  parents  has  been  the  means  of  hinder- 
ing those  who  would  otherwise  have  offered  themselves 
for  service  in  the  foreign  field. 

Sunday  school  teachers,  leaders  of  mission  study 
classes,  and  others  who  greatly  desire  to  see  the  num- 
ber of  suitable  missionary  candidates  increased,  can 
do  much  to  get  young  people  to  consider  thoroughly 
and  conscientiously  the  claims  of  missionary  service. 
One  instance  is  reported  where  from  one  mission  study 
circle  alone  no  fewer  than  four  members  were  led  to 
volunteer  to  become  missionaries,  and  the  story  of 
James  Chalmers  of  New  Guinea,  whose  first  resolution 
to  become  a  missionary  was  the  result  of  an  appeal 
made  by  his  Sunday  school  teacher,  is  by  no  means  an 
isolated  case  in  the  history  of  missions.  The  mission- 
aries of  the  future  are  to  be  found  among  the  Sunday 
school  pupils  of  the  present,  and  it  is  the  duty,  as  well 
as  the  privilege,  of  the  teachers  to  see  that  their  num- 
ber is  greatly  increased. 


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If  all  Christians  who  are  given  these  places  of  oppor-  Intercession 
tunity  were  to  use  them  wisely,  a  much  larger  number 
of  candidates  would  be  forthcoming ;  but  if  a  supply, 
sufficient  for  the  present  need,  is  to  be  secured,  the 
whole  Christian  Church  must  learn  to  employ  with 
greater  faithfulness  the  Christ-appointed  means  of 
securing  laborers  for  the  world-wide  ripening  harvest 
fields — the  mighty  force  of  intercession. 

The  same  reasons  which  make  necessary  an  increase   Increased 
in    the   number    of    missionary    candidates    obviously    Gifts 
necessitate  an  increase  in  financial  support.     There  is 
need  of  a  large  increase  in  gifts,  because  the  multi- 
plication of  the  number  of  missionaries  involves,  be- 
sides   additional    salaries,    additional    equipment    and   , 
other  enlargements  of  the  work.     The  pressing  oppor- 
tunities which  must  be  improved  lest  they  be  lost  de- 
mand an  early  as  well  as  a  great  increase  in  the  finan- 
cial resources.   There  is  not  a  missionary  society  in  the 
world  which  does  not  stand  in  need  of  more  funds. 
Because  of  the  lack  of  money  some  societies  have  act- 
ually been  compelled  in  some  places  to  abandon  work 
which  was  full  of  promise. 

Happily  the  members  of  the  Christian  Church  are  Notable 
well  able  to  supply  all  the  funds  needed.  It  is  a  strik-  Progress 
ing  fact  that  the  wealthiest  nations  are  the  principal 
Christian  nations.  It  is  even  more  significant  that  a 
disproportionate  share  of  the  money  in  these  countries 
has  been  intrusted  to  Christians.  One  of  the  most  en- 
couraging signs  of  these  days  is  the  growing  recognition 
on  the  part  of  Christian  men  and  women  that  they  ase 
trustees  and  in  no  sense  sole  proprietors,  that  they  can- 


140  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

not  take  their  money  out  of  the  world  with  them,  that 
they  are  responsible  not  simply  for  a  good  use  but  for 
the  very  best  use  of  their  money,  that  it  is  wise  for 
them  to  be  their  own  executors,  and  that  one  of  the 
most  productive  uses  of  money  is  that  of  relating  it  to 
the  plans  of  the  expanding  Kingdom.  The  year  1909 
witnessed  the  largest  gift  ever  made  to  work  on  the 
mission  field,  namely,  the  bequest  of  over  $4,000,- 
000  in  the  will  of  Mr.  John  S.  Kennedy,  of  New 
York,  to  various  foreign  missionary  objects.  Dur- 
ing the  present  year  another  Christian  in  the 
same  city  has  given  $1,000,000  to  foreign  missions, 
and  there  have  been  other  large  gifts  to  this  ob- 
ject, possibly  a  greater  number  than  in  any  one 
year  in  the  history  of  missions.  Moreover,  in  some 
Christian  lands,  it  is  still  more  encouraging  to  note  the 
growing  volume  of  missionary  contributions  from 
Christians  possessing  very  small  means.  Although  it 
is  hopeful  to  see  that  some  who  have  great  wealth  are 
being  led  to  dedicate  it  to  the  propagation  of  the  Gos- 
pel it  is  not  chiefly  to  the  wealthy  that  the  Church  must 
look  for  the  needed  funds.  The  greater  part  of  the 
income  of  the  missionary  societies  comes  from  the 
large  volume  of  contributions  from  those  of  smaller 
means,  and  the  need  of  the  future  is  not  so  much  large 
occasional  gifts  as  it  is  that  the  ordinary  church  mem- 
ber should  be  trained  to  give  conscientiously,  intelli- 
gently, and  systematically,  with  a  full  realization  of 
the  needs  which  his  gifts  will  help  to  meet. 

Various  methods  have  been  used  with  this  end  in 
view.      A  method  of  universal  and  permanent  value, 


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absolutely  essential  to  insure  gifts  adequate  in  amount 
and  prompted  by  the  right  spirit,  is  effective  instruc- 
tion from  the  pulpit  on  the  subject  of  Christian  stew- 
ardship and  on  Scriptural  habits  of  giving,  espe- 
cially the  habit  of  systematic  and  proportionate  giving, 
and  giving  as  unto  the  Lord  and  not  as  unto  men. 
Such  instruction  should  be  supplemented  by  the 
use  of  the  most  effective  printed  matter  on  the  subject, 
and,  above  all,  by  actually  inducing  members  of  the 
church  to  adopt  such  principles.  This  latter,  perhaps, 
can  best  be  done  by  means  of  another  most  fruitful 
method,  that  of  a  personal  canvass  of  the  entire  church 
membership,  to  enlist,  if  possible,  some  gift  from  each 
member.  At  the  present  time  in  most  countries,  with 
the  exception  of  Germany,  where  the  larger  part  of  the 
income  is  derived  from  the  church  membership  in  vil- 
lage or  rural  parishes,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  fully  nine- 
tenths  of  the  missionary  funds  are  contributed  by  one- 
tenth  of  the  church  members,  and  that  the  remaining 
one-tenth  of  the  funds  comes  from  very  considerably 
less  than  half  of  the  remainder  of  the  church  mem- 
bers. That  such  a  large  proportion  of  Christian  people 
have  little  or  no  concern  about  the  missionary  work  of 
the  Church  is  highly  unsatisfactory  and  is  doubtless 
due  more  to  ignorance  of  the  need  of  their  help  than 
to  lack  of  Christian  sympathy.  Such  a  personal  can- 
vass, therefore,  if  conducted  by  those  who  appreciate 
and  understand  the  missionary  situation,  might  be  the 
means  of  obtaining  the  support  of  many  who,  when 
they  learn  that  it  is  their  duty,  will  gladly  give.  Ex- 
perience has  shown  that  this  canvass  of  the  member- 


142 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Special 
Object  and 
Station  Plan 


Apportion- 
ment Plan 


Laymen's 

Missionary 

Movement 


ship  will  result  in  a  much  larger  sum  being  secured 
each  year  if  it  be  conducted  by  committees  rather  than 
by  individuals. 

Another  plan  which  explains  the  increase  in  gifts  in 
many  places  has  been  that  of  getting  individual  par- 
ishes, young  people's  societies,  families,  and  individual 
church  members,  each  to  support  one  or  more  mission- 
aries or  some  other  special  object.  This  plan  has  its 
disadvantages,  but  the  advantages  associated  with  it, 
especially  the  increased  gifts  which  it  calls  forth,  far 
outweigh  the  disadvantages.  Another  method  possibly 
more  desirable,  and  with  fewer  administrative  difficul- 
ties, is  known  as  the  station  plan.  This  plan  involves 
the  relating  of  a  given  small  constituency — a  local 
church  or  group  of  churches — to  a  specified  station 
abroad,  through  the  agency  of  the  mission  board.  The 
advantage  here  is  that  while  missionaries  and  native 
staff  change,  the  community  which  is  being  evangelized 
remains,  and  the  interest  aroused  in  the  sustaining 
churches  at  home  is  thus  likely  to  be  more  constant. 

A  successful  method  developed  by  several  commun- 
ions is  known  as  the  apportionment  plan.  According  to 
this  plan  a  given  communion,  after  deciding  how  much 
money  it  will  aim  to  secure  for  missions  in  a  given  year, 
apportions  the  total  sum  among  the  various  local  par- 
ishes or  congregations,  so  that  each  one  will  know  its 
assigned  share  of  the  total  amount  to  be  secured  within 
the  year.  In  this  way  many  local  churches  have  been 
led  greatly  to  increase  their  contributions. 

One  of  the  most  hopeful  developments  in  the  direc- 
tion of  increasing  the  support  of  foreign  missions,  as 


AN  ADEQUATE  HOME   BASE  143 

well  as  in  other  directions,  has  been  the  inauguration 
of  the  Laymen's  Missionary  Movement.  This  Move- 
ment was  organized  in  New  York  in  1906,  and  while  it 
has  since  spread  to  Britain  and  one  or  two  other 
countries,  it  has  reached  its  highest  efficiency  in  the 
United  States  and  Canada.  It  is  not  a  new  missionary 
society  to  collect  or  administer  funds  or  to  send  out 
missionaries.  "  It  is  an  inspiration,  not  an  administra- 
tion." Its  aim  is  to  interest  laymen  in  the  subject  of 
missions  and  to  lead  them  to  recognize  and  to  accept 
their  responsibility  to  promote  the  cause  of  missions  in 
connection  with  the  Christian  communion  to  which 
they  belong. 

While  it  is  interdenominational,  its  work  is  carried  Its  Plans  and 
on  through  the  channels  of  each  Christian  communion.  Achievements 
To  this  end  interdenominational  co-operating  com- 
mittees of  laymen  are  organized  in  the  different  com- 
munities. These  committees  ascertain  the  actual  facts 
as  to  what  is  being  done  for  missions  by  the  different 
communions  and  by  the  city  or  town  as  a  whole.  They 
then  arrange  an  opportunity  for  the  presentation  of 
these  facts  and  of  the  claims  of  foreign  missions  to 
the  laymen  of  all  the  churches  of  the  community.  It 
has  usually  been  found  advisable  to  have  this  done  in 
connection  with  a  great  laymen's  dinner.  Before  this 
gathering  is  arranged,  separate  denominational  con- 
ferences are  usually  held,  and  on  the  basis  of  conclu- 
sions arrived  at  in  them  a  definite  policy  as  to  the 
missionary  activities  of  the  community  is  drawn  up. 
At  the  dinner  this  policy  is  presented,  discussed, 
and  adopted,  and  afterwards  an  interdenominational 


144  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

gathering  of  laymen  is  held  for  the  discussion  of  prac- 
tical methods  for  carrying  out  the  programme  agreed 
upon  by  the  different  churches.  To  help  in  carrying 
out  the  policy  agreed  upon,  an  energetic  and  efficient 
missionary  committee  is  organized  in  each  congrega- 
tion. Interdenominational  conventions  or  conferences 
were  held  in  all  the  principal  cities  of  Canada  com- 
mencing with  the  year  1908,  and  during  the  winter 
of  1909-10  there  were  similar  conventions  in  seventy- 
five  of  the  leading  cities  of  the  United  States  as  well  as 
on  a  smaller  scale  in  many  other  communities.  In  the 
accomplishment  of  its  work  the  international  Laymen's 
Missionary  Movement  employs  a  corps  of  able  secre- 
taries to  direct  the  propaganda.  Much  use  is  made  of 
missionary  literature  especially  adapted  to  laymen.  The 
movement  began  in  a  meeting  for  prayer,  and,  ever 
since,  its  chief  reliance  has  been  upon  prayer.  No  sub- 
ject receives  such  large  attention  in  its  conferences. 
The  Movement  has  stimulated  the  plan  of  deputations 
of  Christian  laymen  representing  different  denomina- 
tions going  out  to  visit  the  various  mission  fields,  with 
reference  to  awakening  on  their  return  a  wider  interest 
among  their  fellow  laymen.  As  a  result  of  these 
methods  the  Movement  has  done  more  than  any  other 
one  means  to  stir  up  interest  among  laymen  and  to  en- 
large their  financial  co-operation. 
Southern  One  of  the  best  single  illustrations  of  the  financial 

Presbyterian  results  of  the  Movement  is  in  connection  with  the 
Southern  Presbyterian  Church,  the  first  to  organize 
its  own  separate  Laymen's  Movement.  It  is,  however, 
related  to  the  interdenominational  Movement  as  well. 


Laymen 


AN  ADEQUATE  HOME   BASE  145 

Four  years  ago  the  total  contributions  to  foreign  mis- 
sions of  that  Church  were  $223,000.  During  that 
year  their  Laymen's  Movement  was  organized.  The 
next  year  the  contributions  increased  to  $275,000,  the 
year  following  to  $323,000,  while  last  year  they 
reached  $412,000.  Forty-eight  of  the  individual 
churches  of  that  denomination  contributed  on  the  aver- 
age $4  per  member  to  foreign  missions. 

The  best  illustration  of  the  increased  giving  to  mis-  Results  in 
sions  in  a  large  city  under  the  direct  influence  of  the   Toronto 
Laymen's  Movement  is  Toronto.     The  following  table 
indicates  the  advances  in  annual  receipts  made  in  the 
five  principal  Christian  communions  in  a  period  of  two 
years : 

Year  1907  Year  1909 

Anglican $51,786.00  $71,000.00 

Baptist 23,006.85  60,877.09 

Congregational 3>339-°°  4*963.00 

Methodist 61,753.45*  102,754.24* 

Presbyterian   46,332.13  111,611.00 

$186,217.43  $351,205.33 

It  is  a  striking  fact  that,  contrary  to  the  fears  of   Helps  Home 
some  Church  leaders,  the  gifts  to  the  work  of  the   Finances 
Church  in  the  home  communities  have  increased  along 
with  those  to  foreign  missions. 

A  more  important  result  of  the  Laymen's  Movement   Lay 
than  the  increase  in  financial  support  has  been  its  in-  Leadership 
fluence  in  enlisting  the  laymen  as  advocates  of  and  an      m^ 
workers  for  foreign  missions.     Literally  thousands  of  , 

*  For  the  year  closing  April  30. 


146 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Developing 

Spontaneous 

Givers 


Essential 
Service  of 
Missionary 
Intelligence 


laymen  throughout  the  United  States  and  Canada  who 
had  no  interest  in  the  subject  are  now  making  speeches 
on  missions,  conducting  mission  study  classes,  guid- 
ing missionary  organizations,  and  conducting  financial 
canvasses.  The  Movement  is  thus  helping  to  develop 
the  lay  leadership  of  the  Church.  Some  consider  that 
the  most  significant  result  of  this  Movement  has  been 
in  the  direction  of  promoting  Christian  unity,  as  a  re- 
sult of  drawing  together  in  spirit,  planning,  and  ag- 
gressive effort  the  most  active  and  influential  laymen 
of  the  different  communions. 

Whatever  methods  of  raising  money  are  followed, 
the  aim  should  be  not  so  much  the  securing  of  gifts  as 
the  developing  of  the  right  motives  and  spirit  in  the 
givers.  The  greatly  increased  giving  which  is  de- 
manded by  the  present  situation  in  the  mission  field 
cannot  be  obtained  simply  by  urging  people  to  give. 
The  gifts  will  be  adequate  only  when  they  flow  spon- 
taneously from  men  who  have  been  moved  by  a  con- 
sciousness of  the  world's  need. 

If  we  are  to  have  able  missionary  leadership  at  home, 
intelligent  adoption  of  the  missionary  calling  as  a  life- 
work,  financial  support  in  proportion  to  the  need, 
prayer  with  the  spirit  and  with  the  understanding  also, 
if  we  are  to  have  the  broadest  and  most  virile  types  of 
Christian  character  in  the  membership  of  the  Church, 
there  must  be  a  thorough  promotion  of  missionary 
intelligence.  This  work  has  three  main  aims :  The 
maintenance  of  interest  among  those  who  are  already 
well-disposed,  in  order  that  there  may  be  no  falling  off 
in  the  present  giving,  prayers,  and  missionary  activi- 


AN  ADEQUATE  HOME   BASE  147 

ties  of  the  Church ;  the  securing  of  additional  sup- 
porters both  among  adults  who  are  at  present  in- 
different and  especially  among  the  rising  generation ; 
the  securing  of  a  special  body  of  missionary  teachers, 
campaigners,  and  other  workers  at  home,  and  of  suit- 
able candidates  for  the  foreign  field.  There  has  been 
a  wide-spread  failure  to  recognize  the  importance  of 
the  last  two  aims,  and  to  employ  methods  adequate  to 
realize  them. 

For  the  general  maintenance  and  growth  of  mission-   Interest 
ary   interest  the  most   widely  used  agencies  are  the    Promoted  by 
missionary  sermon  or  address,  the  missionary  meeting.   sPeech  and 
and  the  missionary  magazine.     These  have  rendered 
great  service,  but  in  this  age  of  increasing  culture  and 
criticism  and  literary  competition  they  all  must  be  of 
better  quality  than  ever  if  they  are  to  continue  their 
past  achievements.   Missionary  books,  news  bulletins, 
and  the  secular  press  should  all  be  used  freely  to  assist 
in  realizing  this  aim.    The  individuals  who  must  take 
the  lead  in  this  work  are  the  pastors,  the  officials  of 
missionary  societies,  and  missionaries  on  furlough. 

When  we  consider  methods  for  reaching  those  who  Reaching 
are  not  yet  interested,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the    Those  not 
methods  now  in  use  are  much  less  adequate.    The  aver-   mterested 
age  non-missionary  church  member  will  go  out  of  his 
way  to  avoid  a  missionary  sermon  or  meeting  or  maga- 
zine.    The  number  of  new  converts  made  by  any  of 
these  agencies  each  year  is  comparatively  small.   Plainly 
they  must  be  adapted  and  strongly  supplemented  be- 
fore the  present  body  of  missionary  supporters  will 
be  largely  increased.    Three  special  needs  may  be  men- 


148 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Temperamen- 
tal Variety 


tioned;  the  need  of  securing  an  attentive  hearing,  the 
need  of  adaptation  to  special  temperaments  and  types 
of  thought,  and  the  need  of  cumulative  influences  to 
overcome  dense  ignorance  and  prejudice.  If  these 
three  needs  can  be  met,  we  may  hope  not  only  to  an- 
nex for  the  missionary  enterprise  great  untouched 
fields  of  wealth  and  influence,  but  to  fill  vacant  lives 
with  an  ideal  worthy  of  their  best  endeavor. 

To  secure  a  hearing,  we  must  depart  from  our  tra- 
ditional methods  which  in  the  minds  of  the  indifferent 
are  associated  too  often  with  dullness.  We  must  pro- 
vide more  attractive  meetings  and  advertise  them  with 
greater  enthusiasm.  The  use  of  debates  and  dramatic 
programmes,  lantern  slides,  and  charts  will  help,  pro- 
vided their  quality  be  good.  The  testimony  of  travel- 
ers will  arouse  the  skeptical.  A  yet  larger  use  should 
be  made  of  the  press  and  of  secular  magazines.  Mis- 
sionary exhibitions  have  proved  most  efficient  in  Eng- 
land, and  are  being  transplanted  to  America.  The 
Laymen's  Missionary  Movement  has  secured  a  hearing 
from  many  persons  heretofore  indifferent  because  it  is 
big,  businesslike,  interdenominational,  and  enthusias- 
tic. To  many  outsiders  the  foreign  missionary  enter- 
prise seems  like  a  small  affair  on  account  of  our  nar- 
row and  languid  way  of  promoting  it.  Any  evidence 
that  we  thought  it  worth  strenuous  action  would  at 
once  compel  their  attention. 

In  reaching  special  temperaments,  we  must  aim  at 
one  thing  at  a  time.  It  would  be  well  if  we  could  some- 
times grade  our  audiences.  We  need  broad  and 
thoughtful  treatment  for  persons  of  special  culture; 


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149 


facts,  figures,  and  problems  for  business  men;  fair- 
minded  apologetic  for  the  prejudiced  and  narrow. 
Brotherhood  meetings  for  men  and  current  events 
clubs  for  women  should  discuss  such  documents  as  the 
reports  of  the  Edinburgh  Conference,  selecting  the 
subjects  of  greatest  interest.  A  multitude  of  individ- 
uals who  have  imagined  the  subject  of  foreign  mis- 
sions as  necessarily  dull  would  be  amazed  to  discover 
the  attractiveness  to  them  of  some  of  its  phases. 

To  secure  cumulative  influences,  nothing  is  better  Mission 
than  the  mission  study  class.  It  is  surprising  how  often  Study  Class 
indifferent  persons  can  be  secured  for  membership  by 
special  effort.  Attendance  at  summer  conferences 
has  transformed  many  skeptics  into  enthusiasts.  We 
do  not  expect  to  arouse  the  careless  with  evangelistic 
influences  without  a  carefully  prepared  and  continued 
campaign.  The  reason  why  so  many  professing  Chris- 
tians are  still  indifferent  to  the  subject  of  foreign  mis- 
sions is  because  the  Church  has  never  taken  the  trouble 
to  reach  them. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  overstate  the  importance  of   Sunday 
the  missionary  education  of  children  and  young  people.   School  and 
Fortunately  we  now  have  at  our  disposal  the  results   student  Fields 
of  years  of  child  study  by  specialists,  which  must  obvi- 
ously be  mastered  as  a  preliminary.     Missions  must 
take  its  place  as  an  essential  part  of  the  Sunday  school 
curriculum  to  be  taught  as  a  modern  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles.    This  agency  may  need  supplementing  in  many 
places  by  children's  bands  and  boys'  clubs.     Missions 
should  be  presented  more  systematically  and  effectively 
in  the  meetings  of  young  people's  societies,  in  guilds 


i5o 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Trained 
Missionary 
Teachers  and 
Workers 


for  young  women  and  brotherhoods  for  young  men. 
Of  most  strategic  importance  is  the  work  in  the  col- 
leges. In  spite  of  the  distractions  of  college  life,  which 
often  absorb  more  time  than  the  overcrowded  curricu- 
lum, there  is  still  time  for  mission  study.  We  can- 
not assent  to  the  name  of  a  liberal  education  for  one 
which  omits  the  largest  and  most  complex  issue  be- 
fore Christendom  to-day.  We  must  press  mission 
study  in  the  colleges.  But  in  this,  even  more  than  in 
the  other  lines,  the  quality  of  our  work  is  supremely 
important. 

All  that  precedes  will  be  ineffectual  if  we  do  not  suc- 
ceed in  training  a  special  body  of  missionary  teachers 
and  workers.  The  demands  indicated  above  cannot  be 
adequately  met  by  the  pastorate,  nor  by  our  present 
force  of  interested  laymen.  There  must  be  an  increase 
in  the  number  of  workers  who  will  be  enthusiastic  stu- 
dents of  both  missions  and  pedagogy,  whose  center  of 
interest  will  not  be  in  merely  holding  meetings  but  in 
achieving  definite  results.  The  mission  study  class  will 
be  one  of  the  main  agencies  for  securing  such  persons, 
and  to  secure  this  in  turn  we  must  have  many  more 
delegates  at  the  normal  classes  of  the  summer  confer- 
ences. In  every  local  congregation  there  should  be  at 
least  one  such  dynamo  generating  intense  missionary 
enthusiasm,  creating  clear  and  deep  convictions  in  those 
who  are  to  be  the  lay  leaders  of  the  church.  From  the 
members  of  the  study  classes  there  should  come  an 
increasing  number  of  candidates  for  the  mission  field. 
Missionary  intelligence  will  be  best  assimilated  by  ac- 
tive discussion,  rather  than  by  silent  listening.    More 


AN  ADEQUATE  HOME   BASE  151 

important  still  is  the  providing  an  outlet  in  some 
form  of  active  service.  Impressions  that  fail  to  effect 
action  cheat  both  the  personal  character  and  the  cause. 
Missionary  intelligence  is  not  a  mere  chemical  fer- 
tilizer, yielding  inevitable  increase  when  spread  thickly 
over  the  soil.  It  is  the  appeal  of  God  to  the  individual 
soul  and  to  His  Church,  an  appeal  that  needs  the  most 
careful  adaptation  to  types  and  aims,  an  appeal  that 
may  even  then  be  disregarded  without  the  co-operative 
working  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 

The  most  crucial  problem  of  foreign  missions  is,  Missionary 
How  to  lead  Christians  to  use  what  Dr.  Arthur  H.  Intercession 
Smith,  of  China,  has  characterized  as  "  The  deeply 
buried  talent  of  intercessory  prayer."  Without  doubt 
the  flood  tide  of  superhuman  power  is  held  back  from 
the  missionary  movement  owing  more  largely  to  this 
cause  than  to  any  other.  The  evangelization  of  the 
world  is  not  primarily  a  matter  of  numbers,  wealth, 
knowledge,  and  strategy,  but  of  the  unhindered  work- 
ing of  the  Spirit  of  God.  Such  divine  manifestation 
has  been  associated  invariably  with  prayer.  What- 
ever, therefore,  influences  Christians  one  by  one  and 
also  corporately  to  devote  themselves  in  the  right  spirit 
and  manner  to  missionary  intercession  will  most 
directly  and  effectively  insure  the  realization  of  the 
missionary  purpose  of  Christ. 

How  to  enlist  the  co-operation  of  Christians  in  pray-   Stronger 
er  and  how  to  increase  their  efficiency  in  this  form  of   Appeal 
spiritual  work   is   a  most  vital  question.     Mr.   F.   S. 
Brockman,  the  leader  of  the  Student  Movement  in 
China,  has  well  called  attention  to  a  great  weakness  in 


152  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

this  respect :  "  This  promotion  of  a  large  volume  of 
prayer  for  the  world's  evangelization  is  thoroughly 
practical.  The  great  body  of  Christians  have  not  hith- 
erto taken  seriously  the  efforts  of  leaders  of  missionary 
work  to  promote  prayer.  This  is  due,  no  doubt,  to  the 
fact  that  the  leaders  themselves  have  not  seemed  to 
put  prayer  first.  The  burden  of  their  appeal  is  for  men 
and  money.  The  appeal  for  prayer  is  spasmodic  and 
incidental.  If  the  same  energy,  time,  earnestness,  and 
skill  were  put  into  getting  prayer  as  are  given  to  en- 
listing men  and  money,  and  if  equally  practical  schemes 
were  devised  for  awakening  the  conscience  of  the 
Church  and  for  promoting  the  habit  of  daily  prayer 
for  the  world's  evangelization,  the  Church  would  do 
much  to  open  the  channels  and  let  flow  out  the  mighty 
power  of  the  Spirit  of  God  which  is  necessary  for 
convincing  and  convicting  the  world." 
Cultivation  If  Christians  are  to  be  influenced  to  devote  them- 

of  Power  selves  more  faithfully  to  prayer  they  must  first  be  led 

ay  to  realize  deeply  the  possibilities  of  prayer  and  the 

great  need  of  their  help  in  prayer.  Professor  War- 
neck  of  Halle  has  shown  that  "  It  is  much  more  diffi- 
cult to  pray  for  missions  than  to  give  to  them.  We 
can  only  really  pray  for  missions  if  we  habitually  lead 
a  life  of  prayer,  and  a  life  of  prayer  can  only  be  led 
if  we  have  entered  into  a  life  of  communion  with  God." 
The  promotion,  therefore,  of  those  practices  and  habits 
which  develop  spiritual  life  and  faith  will  indirectly 
but  powerfully  help  in  developing  and  maintaining  a 
genuine  prayer  life.  The  reverent  use  of  prayer 
cycles  and  other  aids  to  intercession  which  have  been 


AN  ADEQUATE  HOME   BASE  1 53 

developed  within  the  Church  during  the  centuries 
should  be  encouraged.  Gatherings  for  united  inter- 
cession, when  properly  prepared  for  and  conducted, 
may  serve  as  training  schools  in  prayer  and  thus  help 
to  make  more  vital  and  fruitful  the  practice  of  private 
intercession.  There  is  great  need  of  more  Christians 
becoming  students  in  prayer.  That  it  requires  con- 
tinued study,  diligent  and  earnest  practice,  and  reso- 
lute perseverance  is  well  emphasized  by  the  Commis- 
sion on  the  Home  Base  in  their  Report  to  the  Edin- 
burgh Conference: 

"  It  is  not  sufficient  in  an  hour  of  vision  and  aspira-  Regularity  and 
tion  to  dedicate  ourselves  to  the  work  of  intercession.  Perseverance 
Prayer  is  the  putting  forth  of  vital  energy.  It  is  the 
highest  effort  of  which  the  human  spirit  is  capable. 
Proficiency  and  power  in  prayer  cannot  be  attained 
without  patient  continuance  and  much  practice.  The 
primary  need  is  .  .  .  that  individual  Christians  should 
learn  to  pray.  If  this  work  is  to  be  taken  seriously,  the 
hour  of  prayer  must  be  definitely  set  apart  and  jeal- 
ously guarded,  in  spite  of  weariness  and  many  distrac- 
tions. The  secret  and  art  of  prayer  can  only  be  learned 
from  the  teaching  of  the  Master  Himself." 

It  need  only  be  added  that  Christians  learn  to  pray  Following 
not  only  from  the  teaching  of  Christ  but  possibly  even   Christ's 
more  from  His  contagious  example.     The  more  fully  ExamPle 
His  life  of  unbroken  communion,  as  well  as  His  going 
apart  for  special  intercession  and  His  agonizing  in  the 
Garden  on  behalf  of  the  world,  are  studied,  the  more 
deeply  will  the  Church  enter  into  the  secret  of  over- 
coming the  world.     "  Our  duty  to  our  generation  in- 


154 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Spirit  of 
Home  Church 
Reproduced 


Interrelations 
of  the  World 


volves  a  sense  of  spiritual  responsibility  that  will  open 
a  Gethsemane  wherever  there  is  a  Christian." 

The  state  of  the  Church  in  Christian  lands  has  a 
profound  influence  on  the  evangelization  of  non-Chris- 
tian lands.  The  missionary  enterprise  is  the  projec- 
tion abroad  of  the  Church  at  home.  It  shares  in  a 
much  larger  measure  than  is  usually  recognized  the 
ideals  and  spirit  of  the  home  Church,  and  carries  their 
influence  into  the  life  of  the  Church  which  it  creates 
in  the  non-Christian  world. 

This  relation  between  the  Church  at  home  and  the 
Church  abroad  has  become  increasingly  close  with  the 
constant  shrinkage  of  the  world  during  the  past  few 
decades.  As  a  result  of  improved  means  of  communi- 
cation the  world  has  within  a  generation  become  one- 
third  its  former  size.  Nations  which  were  as  far  apart 
as  if  they  had  been  on  different  planets,  so  far  as  exert- 
ing a  practical  influence  upon  each  other  was  con- 
cerned, have  been  drawn  together,  and  the  whole  world, 
by  means  of  the  various  applications  of  steam  and  elec- 
tricity, has  for  the  first  time  become  one  neighborhood. 
The  nations  and  peoples  have  been  drawn  into  closer 
touch  with  each  other  through  trade  and  commerce, 
through  the  growing  volume  of  travel,  through  the 
migration  of  students  from  land  to  land,  through  the 
influence  of  international  societies  of  various  kinds, 
through  the  activity  of  the  press,  through  the  develop- 
ment of  international  law,  as  well  as  through  foreign 
missions.  Moreover,  some  of  the  great  nations  of  the 
West  have  acquired  foothold,  not  only  in  Africa  but 
also  in  the  Far  East.     On  account  of  the  stupendous 


AN  ADEQUATE  HOME   BASE  155 

economic  and  social  changes  now  taking  place  in  the 
non-Christian  nations,  creating  wants  which  at  present 
can  be  supplied  only  by  the  West,  these  nations  are 
entering  into  commercial  relations  with  the  West  as 
never  before.  As  a  result  of  all  this  intermingling,  the 
nations  and  races  are  acting  and  reacting  upon  each 
other  with  increasing  directness,  constancy,  and  power. 
No  longer  does  the  world  exist  in  water-tight  compart- 
ments. It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  the  state  of 
the  home  Church  and  its  attitude  toward  the  commer- 
cial, social,  and  political  practices  which  obtain  in  so- 
called  Christian  lands  should  affect  in  a  most  real  and 
vital  way  the  progress  and  standards  of  the  Church 
in  the  non-Christian  countries. 

Wherein  does  the  state  of  the  home  Church  affect  Influence 
the  work  of  making  Christ  known  to  the  non-Christian  of  Home 
world?  Manifestly  it  does  so  through  its  influence  on  ^^f1  °* 
the  missionaries  whom  it  sends  forth.  It  is  the  home 
in  which  are  enlisted  and  trained  the  pioneers,  found- 
ers, and  leaders  of  world  evangelization.  Much  de- 
pends upon  the  environment  or  atmosphere  in  which 
they  form  their  ideals  and  habits  and  receive  their 
training.  The  missionaries,  it  is  true,  constitute  an 
exceptional  body  of  workers.  In  doctrinal  integrity, 
ethical  standards,  and  evangelistic  zeal  they  are  on 
a  level  which  is  not  generally  attained  by  the  members 
of  the  home  Church.  This  might  be  expected,  since 
they  constitute  a  very  carefully  selected  company,  and 
also  from  the  fact  that  contact  with  the  deep  needs  of 
the  non-Christian  world  drives  them  back  to  funda- 
mental realities.     Yet  the  missionaries,  consciously  or 


Missionaries 


156 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Influence 
on  Native 
Churches 


Effect  of 

Unchristian 

Occidentals 


unconsciously,  are  deeply  influenced  by  the  home 
Church.  If  its  spiritual  life  is  warm  and  vigorous, 
this  necessarily  is  a  source  of  strength  and  inspiration 
to  them;  whereas  if  the  home  Church  is  formal  and 
inert,  it  produces  upon  them  a  depressing  effect.  The 
examples  are  not  few  showing  that  the  theological  un- 
rest of  the  Church  in  certain  Christian  lands  is  re- 
flected in  the  substance  or  spirit  of  the  teaching  by  the 
missionaries  abroad.  Moreover,  the  spiritual  power  of 
the  missionaries  and  their  success  in  the  work  are 
critically  related  to  the  measure  and  the  fervor  of 
prayer  on  their  behalf  in  the  home  Church. 

The  state  of  the  home  Church  affects  the  work 
through  its  influence  on  many  of  the  native  Christian 
workers  and  members.  Besides  the  influence  com- 
municated indirectly  through  the  missionaries,  an  in- 
creasing number  of  native  leaders  study  or  travel  in 
Christian  lands,  read  the  periodicals  and  other  litera- 
ture of  the  West,  and  are  thus  more  directly  exposed 
to  the  currents  of  thought  in  the  home  Church.  One 
does  not  need  to  look  far  to  observe  the  influence  of 
the  rationalistic  spirit  on  Christian  writers,  teachers, 
and  preachers  in  Japan  and  India.  With  the  increas- 
ing nearness  of  Christian  and  non-Christian  lands,  and 
the  multiplication  of  channels  of  intercourse  between 
them,  the  tendency  will  be  for  the  Church,  in  the  lands 
to  which  the  missionaries  are  sent,  to  adopt  the  re- 
ligious standards  of  the  lands  which  send  them. 

The  state  of  the  home  Church  affects  the  work  by 
the  measure  in  which  it  is  able  to  Christianize  the 
various    influences    through    which    Christian    lands 


AN  ADEQUATE  HOME  BASE 


157 


affect  non-Christian  nations.  Were  the  Church  true 
to  its  high  calling,  not  only  its  professed  members,  but 
the  other  people  of  Christian  lands,  would  be  more 
thoroughly  leavened  by  the  ideals  and  motives  of 
Christianity,  and  the  political  actions  of  Christian  na- 
tions would  be  more  definitely  governed  by  its  prin- 
ciples. Thus  the  influences  which  go  out  from  Chris- 
tian lands  along  other  than  missionary  lines  would  be 
rendered  helpful  to  the  missionary  enterprise.  Un- 
happily, the  nominal  Christianity,  which  in  some  cases 
is  virtual  paganism,  of  some  who  represent  Western 
nations  abroad  in  commercial  and  other  pursuits  is  an 
immense  hindrance  to  the  cause  of  Christ.  The  un- 
christian attitude  of  so  many  European  and  American 
travelers  towards  the  people  of  the  lands  which  they 
visit  still  further  handicaps  the  success  of  mission 
work.  It  would  be  difficult  also  to  exaggerate  the 
evil  effect  produced  by  unrighteous  aggressions  on  the 
part  of  Western  nations  upon  non-Christian  nations 
and  peoples.  Wrongly  or  otherwise,  all  these  things 
are  often  held  up  as  proofs  of  the  powerlessness  of 
the  Christian  religion. 

■Moreover,  students  and  others  who  go  from  non-   Unfavorable 
Christian  lands  to  study  in  the  West,  in  many  cases,   Aspects  in 
on  their  return  to  their  homes,  oppose  Christianity  be-   Christendom 
cause  of  the  unchristian  treatment  which  they  have 
experienced,  or  because  of  the  anomalies  and  incon- 
sistencies between  the  ereed  or  ideals  and  the  actual 
conduct  of  Christians,  as  observed  by  them.     They 
are  impressed  by  the  fact  that  in  nearly  every  Christian 
land  there  are  so  many  people  outside  the  Church.     A 


ficial  Spirit 


1 58  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

Church  too  weak  in  faith  and  too  lukewarm  in  spirit 
to  fulfill  its  mission  at  home  is  thereby  generating 
serious  hindrances  to  the  progress  of  its  work  abroad. 
Lack  of  Faith  But  most  of  all  does  the  state  of  the  home  Church 
and  the  Sacri-  affect  the  work  of  the  Church  on  the  mission  field 
through  the  direct  and  vital  connection  subsisting  be- 
tween the  performance  of  this  work  and  the  quality 
and  fulness  of  its  own  spiritual  life.  The  work  of 
making  Christ  known  to  the  non-Christian  world  is 
rooted  in  the  deepest  motives  of  the  Christian  life; 
its  imperative  obligation  is  realized  through  a  clear 
vision  of  the  supreme  truths  of  the  Gospel ;  it  demands 
consecration  of  lives  and  of  substance  in  steadfast 
obedience  to  the  divine  call ;  it  is  a  work  imposed  upon 
the  whole  membership  of  the  Church,  and,  as  the  direct 
effort  of  the  Church  to  fulfill  the  great  task  committed 
to  it,  it  demands  the  consecration  of  all  the  available 
energies  and  resources  of  the  Church  for  its  thorough 
accomplishment.  But  the  Church  of  to-day  is  very 
far  from  such  a  conception  of  its  relation  to  the  work 
of  evangelizing  the  world.  The  spiritual  life  found 
in  it  is  limited  by  want  of  enlightenment  and  by  the 
imperfection  of  its  communion  with  God.  The  grow- 
ing spirit  of  commercialism  and  materialism  which 
characterizes  this  age  has  cast  its  influence  over  the 
Church.  It  has  promoted  habits  of  luxury,  softness, 
and  worldliness,  and  manifests  itself  also  in  a  lack  of 
the  sacrificial  spirit.  The  attitude  of  the  Church 
toward  great  social  and  national  evils  and  sins  is  not 
suggestive  of  earnest  purpose  or  adequate  power  to 
overcome  them.     It  is  a  time  of  doubt  and  hesitation 


AN  ADEQUATE  HOME   BASE  159 

among  many  Christian  ministers  and  teachers.  Ulti- 
mate authority  in  religion  is  a  subject  of  most  diverse 
opinions.  Cardinal  doctrines  are  discussed  as  open 
questions.  Whenever  religion  is  thus  thrown  into  the 
melting-pot,  as  it  were,  it  is  obviously  enfeebled,  for 
the  time,  in  its  propagating  power.  The  life  of  the 
Church  suffers  from  lack  of  clear  conviction  and  of 
resolute  loyalty  to  Christ  throughout  the  whole  sphere 
of  duty.  While  the  missionary  obligation  of  the 
Church  may  be  formally  acknowledged,  it  is  viewed 
with  wide-spread  apathy  and  indifference. 

The  consideration  of  the  defects,  shortcomings,  and  Our  Differ- 
weaknesses  of  the  home  Church  has  led  some  to  ques-  ences  a 
tion  whether  we  have  a  Christianity  which  should  be  WeaImess 
propagated  all  over  the  world.  Were  it  necessary  to 
propagate  the  blemishes  and  errors  of  our  Western 
Christianity  this  question  would  be  most  serious. 
Certainly  we  must  exercise  all  vigilance  not  to  dispense 
poison  with  the  bread  of  life.  We  should  avoid 
spreading  errors  which  would  neutralize  the  Gospel  as 
it  is  presented  in  non-Christian  lands.  We  must  not 
press  upon  other  races  undesirable  and  unessential 
features  of  our  Western  Church  life.  Our  Western 
idiosyncrasies  of  thought  and  practice  and  our  endless 
sectarian  subdivisions  should  be  overcome  or  at  least 
be  left  at  home.  Without  doubt  our  home  divisions 
are  a  great  hindrance  to  the  evangelization  of  the 
world.  To  the  Oriental  mind,  for  example,  our  de- 
nominational distinctions  and  varieties  of  emphasis  are 
bewildering.  Mozoomdar  thus  voiced  this  feeling: 
"  You  urge  me  to  become  a  Christian.     Which  of  the 


i6o 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Christ  and 
Essential 
Truth  Still 
Possessed 


numberless  forms  of  Christianity  shall  I  accept?     1 
shall  always  be  a  Christman,  but  never  a  Christian." 

Happily  the  home  Church  still  possesses  the  essen- 
tials of  primitive  Christianity.  It  sends  forth  its 
representatives  to  propagate  the  Christianity  of  the 
New  Testament — to  bring  the  non-Christian  world 
face  to  face  with  the  historic  and  the  living  Christ 
and  with  the  teachings  of  His  apostles.  This  is 
the  Christianity  that  not  only  teaches  God  truly  but 
gives  God  actually  to  the  world,  through  His  incarna- 
tion in  Jesus  Christ;  and  gives  the  world  to  God 
through  its  regeneration  in  Christ,  by  participation  in 
His  Spirit  and  Life.  It  is  on  this  platform  that  all  the 
victories  of  the  Christian  faith  have  been  won.  The 
worth  of  Christianity  as  a  missionary  force  is  meas- 
ured by  what  it  has  of  Christ.  If  He  be  lifted  up  He 
draws  unto  Himself  men  of  all  nations,  races,  and  sta- 
tions. The  Church  is  more  fully  acquainted  with  Christ 
to-day  than  in  any  preceding  age.  Thus,  though  cer- 
tain forms  of  our  Christianity  may  not  be  worth  pro- 
pagating, our  Christ  should  be  proclaimed  to  all  men. 
If  we  give  to  the  world  our  best  we  shall  be  giving 
something  that  is  infinitely  worthy  to  be  received  by 
the  world,  and  which  also  may  justly  claim  the  al- 
legiance of  the  world.  It  is  the  only  Christianity  we 
have,  and  the  only  Christianity  for  the  world.  We 
cannot  bring  ourselves  to  consent  to  the  proposition 
that  it  should  not  be  propagated.  In  that  wonderful 
letter  which  Dr.  Rainy  wrote  on  behalf  of  the  Free 
Church  of  Scotland,  in  reply  to  the  greeting  of  old 
Madras  College  students  to  the  General  Assembly  in 


AN  ADEQUATE  HOME  BASE  161 

Edinburgh  on  the  occasion  of  Principal  Miller's 
Moderatorship,  the  heart  of  the  matter  is  aptly  ex- 
pressed :  "  We  men  in  the  West  have  no  better  claim 
to  Jesus  Christ  than  you  have.  We  possess  nothing 
so  precious — we  value  nothing  so  much — we  have  no 
source  of  good  so  full,  fruitful,  and  enduring — we 
have  nothing  to  compare  with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
To  Him  we  bear  witness.  And  we  should  gladly  con- 
sent that  you  should  cease  to  listen  to  us,  if  you  would 
be  led  to  give  your  ear  and  your  heart  to  Him." 
Where  this  conviction  and  this  spirit  dominate  the  life 
of  the  Church,  it  possesses  the  vital  force  of  missionary 
effort  and  sacrifice. 

It  thus  appears  that  an  essential  part  of  the  task  of  Need  of 
evangelizing  the  world  is  the  lifting  of  the  Church  at  Whole  Church 
home  into  a  fuller  spiritual  life.  As  it  learns  the  mind  ?f™*ed  to 
and  heart  of  Christ,  and  is  possessed  by  His  Spirit, 
it  will  become  more  missionary,  and  also  mightier  in 
all  its  missionary  work.  In  all  planning  for  forward 
movements  or  for  expansion  of  missions,  this  truth 
must  be  kept  in  the  foreground.  While  it  is  true  that 
a  deepening  interest  in  foreign  missions  invariably 
strengthens  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Church  and  pro- 
motes its  fruitfulness  in  all  directions,  it  is  equally  true 
that  larger  operations  and  greater  power  abroad  are 
impossible  unless  the  life  of  the  Church  at  home  is 
marked  by  greater  enlightenment,  devotion,  and  fidelity 
to  its  Lord.  The  two  go  together.  The  great  need  is 
that  Christians  young  and  old  be  given  the  vision,  the 
motives,  the  enthusiasm  which  shall  make  the  Church 
equal  in  spiritual  power  to  the  present  world  situation. 


Christ 


162  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

And  this  means  that  each  Christian  should  in  the  most 
personal  and  practical  manner  strive  to  conform  his 
life  and  practices  to  the  requirements  of  his  divine 
Lord  and  throw  himself  with  great  earnestness  into 
the  work  of  carrying  out  the  missionary  desires  and 
purposes  of  Christ.  Nothing  less  than  a  Church 
whose  individual  members  are  tremendously  in  earnest 
can  evangelize  the  non-Christian  world. 


THE  REQUIREMENTS  OF 

THE    PRESENT    SITUATION: 

AN  EFFICIENT  CHURCH  ON  THE 

MISSION   FIELD 


the  Key 


CHAPTER    VI 

THE   REQUIREMENTS   OF   THE    PRESENT   SITUATION:   AN 
EFFICIENT    CHURCH    ON    THE    MISSION     FIELD 

The  present  situation  on  the  mission  field  requires  The  Native 
something  more  than  an  adequate  plan  of  campaign  Church 
and  an  adequate  home  base  for  missionary  operations. 
There  is  even  greater  need  of  an  efficient  Church  on 
the  mission  field.  Even  if  the  home  Church  were 
thoroughly  alive  to  the  situation  and  thoroughly  in- 
spired with  the  spirit  of  service,  of  itself  it  could  not 
carry  the  Gospel  to  all  men.  The  evangelization  of 
the  non-Christian  world  is  not  alone  a  European  and 
a  North  American  enterprise;  it  is  to  an  even  greater 
degree  an  Asiatic,  an  African,  and  a  South  American 
enterprise.  While  the  Churches  of  Christian  lands 
are  responsible  for  the  introduction  of  Christianity  to 
non-Christian  nations  and  for  making  sure  that  it  is 
securely  established  in  them,  the  principal  burden  of 
responsibility  for  the  extension  of  Christ's  Kingdom 
through  each  country  rests  upon  the  Christian  sons 
and  daughters  of  the  soil.  It  was  the  opinion  of  that 
great  missionary  statesman,  Alexander  Duff,  that 
"  when  the  set  time  arrives,  the  real  reformers  of 
Hindustan  will  be  well-qualified  Hindus."  Mackay 
of  Uganda  maintained  that  the  agency  by  which  and 

16s 


i66 


DECISIVE  HOUR   OF  MISSIONS 


Exclusive  Use 
of  Foreign 
Missionaries 
Impracticable 


Advantages 
of  Native 
Workers 


probably  by  which  alone  we  can  Christianize  Africa 
is  the  African  himself.  Dr.  Nevius,  who  had  extensive 
experience  in  developing  the  native  Church  in  China, 
expressed  the  conviction  that  the  millions  of  China 
must  be  brought  to  Christ  by  Chinese.  Practically  all 
missionaries  feel  the  same,  and  the  reasons  for  their 
conviction  are  not  difficult  to  find. 

The  task  of  making  Christ  known  to  all  people  is  so 
vast  that  the  number  of  foreign  missionaries  now  on 
the  field,  or  of  those  whom  the  home  Church  may 
reasonably  be  expected  to  provide,  could  not  accom- 
plish the  work,  even  if  they  possessed  the  necessary 
qualifications  and  advantages.  To  evangelize  China, 
for  example,  the  number  of  foreign  missionaries  would 
need  to  be  increased  a  hundred-fold.  Again,  even  if 
the  home  Church  could  send  out  and  support  such  an 
army  of  missionaries,  the  national  spirit  of  the  differ- 
ent non-Christian  countries  would  make  it  impractica- 
ble for  them  to  gain  entrance.  Unless  the  responsibil- 
ity be  recognized  and  accepted  by  the  Christians  of 
each  mission  field,  it  is  hopeless  to  expect  to  see  that 
field  thoroughly  evangelized  and  Christianized. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  native  Christians  possess  marked 
advantages  over  foreign  workers  as  evangelists. 
They  do  not  have  the  disability  of  working  in  a  climate 
to  which  they  are  not  accustomed  and  which  is  un- 
favorable to  them;  they  do  not  have  to  take  fur- 
loughs or  spend  so  much  time  at  vacation  resorts ; 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  in  most  mission  fields,  the 
problem  of  the  climate  is  a  very  serious  one  for  the 
foreign  missionary,  often  resulting  in  breakdown  of 


AN  EFFICIENT  CHURCH  ON  THE   FIELD      167 

health,  and  always  necessitating  interruptions  of  the 
work  by  annual  vacations,  and  frequent  furloughs  in 
the  home-land.  The  native  workers  know  the  lan- 
guage of  their  people  far  better  than  most  missionaries 
can  ever  hope  to  acquire  it.  Their  intimate  knowledge 
of  its  idioms  and  most  telling  expressions  enables  them 
to  touch  more  readily  and  deeply  the  minds  and  hearts 
of  their  countrymen.  Seldom  does  the  missionary 
acquire  the  freedom,  fluency,  and  accent  so  necessary 
for  effective  appeal.  The  native  of  the  country  un- 
derstands the  heart-life  and  the  thought-life  of  his 
people.  He  is  thus  able  to  appreciate  their  feelings 
and  point  of  view  to  a  degree  which  the  foreigner 
cannot  attain.  His  familiarity  with  the  supersti- 
tions, prejudices,  and  aspirations  of  the  people  is 
likewise  a  great  advantage.  Having  fought  over  the 
battleground  of  the  temptations  of  his  own  people, 
he  is  able  to  enter  more  sympathetically  and  helpfully 
into  their  experiences.  He  knows  their  soul  struggles, 
their  gropings  after  light,  the  trials  incident  to  coming 
out  from  the  social  and  religious  associations  connected 
with  their  family  and  community  life.  All  of  these 
things  enable  him  to  persuade  and  guide  them  better 
than  can  the  missionary,  who  comes  among  them  from 
entirely  different  surroundings  and  experiences,  and 
who  at  the  best  is  a  stranger  and  a  foreigner,  in  spite 
of  anything  he  may  do,  and  is  therefore  kept  more  or 
less  aloof  from  the  social  as  well  as  the  spiritual  life 
of  the  people  whom  he  would  help.  The  native  Chris- 
tians are  thus  qualified  to  be  more  efficient  missionaries 
than  the  foreigners  and    for   this  reason,  if   for   no 


i68 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Co-operation 
of  Missiona- 
ries Essential 


Their  Service 
Needed  as 
Pioneers 


other,  it  is  clear  that  they  must  constitute  the  principal 
factor  in  spreading  the  Christian  religion  throughout 
their  country. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  major  responsibil- 
ity rests  upon  the  native  Christian  workers,  the  co- 
operation of  the  missionaries  in  every  mission  field  is 
still  indispensable.  They  are  needed  to  place  at  the 
disposal  of  the  young  Churches  the  experience  and 
lessons  of  Christianity  acquired  through  the  many 
centuries  of  its  history.  They  are  needed  to  anchor 
and  steady  the  Church  on  the  mission  field  in  times  of 
stress  and  strain  when  there  is  serious  danger  of  its 
slipping  from  its  moorings  in  matters  of  doctrine  and 
practice.  There  are  sad  chapters  in  the  life  of  some 
of  the  native  Churches  which  tell  of  the  introduction 
into  the  life  and  teaching  of  the  Church  of  ideas  and 
practices  of  heathenism.  Some  thoughtful  students 
of  missions  regard  this  as  still  one  of  the  greatest  perils 
on  certain  mission  fields.  Missionaries  of  the  highest 
qualifications  are  needed  on  every  mission  field  to  pre- 
sent in  their  lives  and  work  models  and  examples  to 
the  workers  and  members  of  the  native  Churches,  and 
especially  to  communicate  and  to  stimulate  an  aggres- 
sive evangelistic  spirit.  In  the  early  stages  of  the 
development  of  the  Church  on  every  field,  even  in  the 
later  stages  on  some  fields,  the  wise  and  loving  co- 
operation of  the  missionary  in  the  work  of  the  Church 
is  considered  essential  by  most  missionaries. 

The  missionaries  are,  moreover,  imperatively  needed 
to  help  to  pioneer  the  work  in  the  totally  or  largely  un- 
occupied fields.     A  careful  study  of  the  world  field 


AN  EFFICIENT   CHURCH  ON  THE   FIELD       169 

shows  that  there  is  practically  no  non-Christian  nation 
where  their  help  as  pioneers  is  not  still  needed.  Upon 
this  point  Bishop  Oldham  has  truly  remarked :  "  When 
one  considers  the  overwhelming  preponderance  of  the 
non-Christians,  the  poverty  of  the  native  Christian 
Church,  derived,  as  it  is,  after  New  Testament  prec- 
edent, from  the  poor,  the  comparatively  feeble  mis- 
sionary pulse  that  as  yet  beats  in  it,  it  would  be  a 
betrayal  of  the  non-Christians  to  leave  them  to  a  large 
extent  to  the  missionary  zeal  of  their  native  Chris- 
tian neighbors.'' 

To  leave  the  whole,  or  the  major  part  of  the  evan-  Their  Work  of 
gelization  of  neighboring  fields  to  the  small,  poor,  and  Evangelization 
as  yet  narrow-horizoned  Churches  recently  redeemed  an      rammS 
from  the  chill  of  heathenism,  would  be  to  sacrifice  the 
many  unevangelized  for  a  doubtful  experiment  with 
the  partially  enlightened.     It  must  be  our  object  to 
throw    the    responsibility    entirely    upon    the    native 
Churches,  as  soon  as  they  are  ready  to  bear  it.     For 
the  present  it  seems  plain  that  both  the  initiative  in 
entering  new  fields  and  the  duty  of  securing  and  train- 
ing native  preachers  must  lie  largely  with  the  foreign 
missionary. 

Nevertheless,   the  great   importance  of   the  native   Natives  the 
Church  as  an  evangelistic   agency   has   already  been   Chief  Soul 
proved.     The  history  of  the  extension  of  Christianity,       mners 
from  the  days  of  the  early  Church  down  to  the  present 
time,  shows  that  the  chief  work  of  evangelizing  and 
Christianizing  a  country  has  always  been  done  by  its 
inhabitants.     Facts    gathered    from   all    the   principal 
foreign  mission  fields  show  that  this  was  never  more 


170 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Silent 
Influence 
of  Native 
Church 


true  than  it  is  to-day  throughout  the  non-Christian 
world.  Bishop  Tucker,  of  Uganda,  writes  that  "  The 
work  of  winning  the  souls  of  the  people  of  this  country 
to  Christ  is  really  being  done  by  the  natives  themselves, 
although  under  the  supervision  of  foreign  mis- 
sionaries." Dr.  Christie  of  Manchuria  gives  similar 
testimony :  "  Indeed,  most  of  the  converts  have  been 
brought  in  by  one  telling  another  what  he  had  learned. 
There  are  several  instances  of  a  little  Christian  com- 
munity being  gathered  in  a  new  district  wholly  by  the 
personal  voluntary  efforts  of  one  native,  who  in  some 
instances  has  not  yet  been  baptized/'  Dr.  John  Ross 
stated  at  the  Edinburgh  Conference  that  probably  less 
than  one  hundred  of  the  20,000  church  members  in 
Manchuria  had  been  led  to  Christ  solely  by  the  mis- 
sionaries. Dr.  S.  A.  Moffett,  of  Korea,  states :  "  The 
Korean  Christians  for  the  last  ten  years  have  been 
bringing  in  converts  faster  than  the  missionaries  have 
been  able  to  provide  instruction  for  them." 

The  silent,  constant,  assimilating  influence  of  the 
Church  or  the  Christian  community  upon  the  sur- 
rounding population  has  been  one  of  the  most  effective 
means  of  accomplishing  this.  The  improvements  in 
the  individual  and  social  life  of  the  native  Christians 
have  been  so  evident  and  striking  that  they  afford  the 
most  convincing  evidence  to  non-Christian  neighbors 
of  the  truth  and  power  of  Christianity.  For  example, 
the  purer,  happier,  more  unselfish,  and  more  progres- 
sive home  life  of  Christian  families  makes  a  silent, 
irresistible  appeal.  The  non-Christians  cannot  but 
recognize  the  social,  economic,  intellectual,  moral,  and 


AN  EFFICIENT   CHURCH   ON  THE   FIELD       171 

spiritual  progress  and  transformations  of  their  Chris- 
tian neighbors  as  a  result  of  Christianity,  and  they  are 
'thus  convinced  as  by  no  other  proof  of  its  genuineness 
and  claims. 

The  unconscious  influence  of  one  individual  convert  Winning 
upon  his  associates  has  been  another  fruitful  source  of  Power  of 
many  additions  to  the  Church.  Quite  apart  from  the  frd™0^13 
direct,  or  technical  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  one  man, 
simply  by  breaking  with  the  old  religious  system  and 
becoming  a  Christian,  influences  another  man  to  do  so. 
This  influence  is  brought  to  bear  in  many  ways — 
through  marriage,  through  the  various  relationships  of 
communal  life,  through  the  personal  regard  of  one 
man  for  another,  through  a  father,  mother,  brother, 
sister,  friend  having  taken  the  step,  and,  in  India, 
through  the  relationship  of  caste.  A  Lutheran  mis- 
sionary estimates  that  in  his  mission,  of  the  15,000  and 
more  baptized  members,  fully  three-fourths  were 
brought  into  the  Church  through  one  or  the  other  of 
these  different  ways. 

In  all  parts  of  the  world,  work  by  individuals  to  Examples  of 
influence  individuals  to  become  Christians  is  the  Individual 
method  most  frequently  and  effectively  employed.  It 
seems  to  be  of  universal  adaptation,  but  one  receives 
the  impression  that  it  is  more  widely  used  by  the 
Church  on  the  mission  field  than  by  the  Church  in 
most  of  the  Christian  countries.  The  most  striking 
example  of  fruitful  personal  work  is  given  by  Dr. 
Christie  in  the  following  narrative :  "  A  patient  came 
to  the  Mukden  Hospital  many  years  ago.  When 
admitted,  he  had  never  heard  the  Gospel,  but  before 


172 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


A  Special 
Children's 
Day 


Donations 
of  Time 


he  left  he  had  a  clear  knowledge  of  Christian 
truth  and  showed  an  intense  desire  to  make  it  known 
to  others.  For  many  years  he  witnessed  for  Christ, 
most  of  the  time  without  salary  of  any  kind,  and 
under  no  control  but  that  of  his  heavenly  Master. 
The  missionary  who  had  charge  of  the  district  where 
he  labored  till  his  martyrdom  by  the  Boxers,  tells  us 
that  he  was  a  direct  means  of  leading  at  least  two 
thousand  souls  into  the  fold  of  Christ."  Dr.  K.  C. 
Chatterjee,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  Indian  Chris- 
tians, in  showing  how  the  Christians  in  the  Punjab, 
both  among  the  higher  and  lower  classes,  are  animated 
by  the  spirit  of  spreading  the  Gospel,  has  testified  that 
he  himself  was  brought  to  Christ  largely  through  the 
help  and  advice  given  to  him  by  his  Christian  fellow- 
students.  It  is  the  general  rule  in  Korea  that  the 
members  of  the  Church  engage  zealously  in  personal 
work,  and  the  method  of  house-to-house  visitation  is 
commonly  practiced. 

It  is  the  custom  in  some  fields  to  observe  a  Chil- 
dren's Day,  when  prayer  is  offered  for  the  conver- 
sion of  the  youth  of  the  community,  when  the 
teachers  in  the  Sunday  schools  make  special  appeals, 
and  when  Christian  parents  put  forth  special  efforts  to 
lead  their  children  to  Christ.  The  results  of  this  cus- 
tom have  been  especially  encouraging. 

Preaching  to  their  neighbors,  or  in  near-by. villages, 
by  those  who  have  become  Christians  is  another  fruit- 
ful method  of  extending  Christ's  Kingdom.  It  is 
quite  common  in  Korea,  in  Manchuria,  and  in  other 
parts  of  China  for  Christians  to  pledge  to  give  a  cer- 


AN  EFFICIENT   CHURCH  ON  THE   FIELD       173 

tain  number  of  days  to  the  work  of  public  preaching, 
as  well  as  to  speaking  to  individuals  one  by  one,  sub- 
scribing their  time  just  as  Christians  in  the  home  lands 
promise  their  money.  At  one  conference  of  Christians 
in  Korea,  after  the  members  had  adopted  the  tithe  as 
the  lowest  standard  of  money-giving,  they  pledged 
enough  time  for  evangelistic  work  to  equal  the  time 
of  one  man  for  ten  years.  At  another  meeting  one 
church  member  promised  to  devote  to  this  kind  of 
work  without  compensation  during  the  following  year 
one  hundred  and  eighty  days.  In  reporting  at  the 
annual  meeting  a  year  later  he  apologized  because  he 
had  been  able  to  give  only  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine 
days.  In  Livingstonia  it  has  become  customary  for 
large  numbers  of  the  church  members  to  engage  freely 
in  preaching  the  Gospel.  "  Every  Sabbath,"  says  one 
at  work  in  that  field,  "hundreds  of  our  Christians 
preach  in  the  villages  around  about  their  places.  I 
fancy  that  from  fifteen  to  twenty  per  cent,  of  the 
church  members  are  engaged  in  teaching  in  Sabbath 
schools  or  in  preaching  every  week,  and  that,  entirely 
without  pay.  On  Saturdays  preachers'  classes  are 
held,  when  a  sermon  is  suggested  for  the  village 
preachers  and  a  sermon  outline  given  to  them." 

From  many  churches  the  Christians  go  out  regularly  Bands  and 
in  bands  to  evangelize  neighboring  towns  and  rural  dis-  0ther  United 
tricts.  This  showing  of  the  strength  of  their  numbers 
seems  to  make  a  special  impression.  In  connection 
with  scores  of  mission  colleges  and  schools  it  is  quite 
common  for  bands  of  students  to  go  out  during  their 
vacations  on  preaching  tours.     In  the  Tinnevelly  dis- 


174 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


trict,  where  there  are  95,000  Christians  connected  with 
the  Anglican  Church,  almost  every  large  congregation 
has  its  regular  system  of  street  preaching.  During  the 
past  three  or  four  years  one  large  congregation  in  this 
district  has  set  apart  a  special  time  each  year  when  a 
large  number  of  its  members  go  out  in  bands  to  the 
neighboring  villages  to  proclaim  the  Gospel.  Last  year 
as  many  as  thirty  bands  witnessed  for  Christ  among 
the  villages  within  a  radius  of  six  miles.  The  plan  of 
uniting  all  the  Christians  in  a  given  town  or  district 
in  a  special  evangelistic  campaign,  continuing  through 
several  days  or  even  weeks,  has  been  used  with  marked 
success  in  different  fields.  The  most  conspicuous 
examples  are  afforded  by  the  Church  in  Japan,  China, 
and  India.  Some  of  the  largest  and  most  difficult  city 
fields  of  Japan  have  experienced  remarkable  revivals 
as  a  result  of  this  method  employed  by  the  Japanese 
pastors  and  lay  leaders,  they  themselves  taking  the 
initiative  and  bearing  practically  the  entire  burden  of 
responsibility. 

In  addition  to  the  increasing  volume  of  evangelistic 
effort  put  forth  by  native  Christians  within  the  sphere 
of  their  daily  callings  and  within  the  range  of  their 
immediate  influence,  a  number  of  native  churches  and 
other  groupings  of  native  Christians  in  various  fields 
are  conducting  organized  missionary  work  to  carry  the 
Gospel  to  the  unevangelized  in  distant  regions  of  their 
own  lands  or  of  other  and  often  remote  countries. 
The  West  China  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  in  the  Szechwan  Province  about  three  year* 
ago  organized   an  effort  to  send   the  Gospel   to  the 


AN   EFFICIENT   CHURCH  ON  THE   FIELD      175 

Tibetans.  At  a  meeting  of  thirty  of  the  Chinese  minis- 
ters connected  with  this  mission,  where  the  needs  of 
the  Tibetans  were  brought  to  their  attention,  six 
ministers  volunteered  to  work  among  these  people  at 
the  gateway  of  Tibet.  Two  of  their  number  were 
sent,  and  the  Chinese  Christians,  under  the  leadership' 
of  their  pastors,  have  continued  to  support  these  repre- 
sentatives. The  presbytery  of  Korea,  upon  its  recent 
organization,  sent  out  one  of  its  first  seven  ordained 
Korean  ministers  as  a  missionary  to  the  island  of  Quel- 
part,  the  Korean  Church  providing  his  support  and 
that  of  an  evangelistic  helper  and  of  a  Bible  woman. 
The  members  of  the  Baptist  Mission  in  Burma  carry 
on  an  aggressive  work,  not  only  among  the  peoples  of 
Burma  but  also  among  the  Karens  of  Siam.  Earnest 
native  Christians  have  also  gone  out  on  their  personal 
initiative  to  become  missionaries  among  other  tribes  or 
races.  The  pioneer  missionaries  to  Angoniland  several 
years  ago  were  Christian  Kaffirs  who  went  out  from 
the  Lovedale  Institution  in  South  Africa.  A  number 
of  Hindustani  Christians  have  gone  to  the  Fiji  Is- 
lands to  do  Christian  work  among  the  35,000  Indians 
who  have  gone  there  to  labor  on  the  plantations,  and 
these  are  supported  in  part  by  their  fellow  Indian 
Christians. 

Special    societies   of    native   Christians   have   been   Native 
organized  for  the  express  purpose  of  sending  workers   Missionary 
to  distant  parts.    Almost  every  mission  in  South  India 
now   has  a  well-organized  missionary  society   which 
sends   missionaries   to   its  own  district  and  to  some 
other  part  of  its  own  country  to  work  among  people 


Societies 


176  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

who  speak  different  languages  from  their  own ;  for 
example,  the  Home  Missionary  Society  of  the  Madura 
Mission  has  taken  the  northern  section  of  their  dis- 
trict, an  area  covering  300  square  miles,  as  its  special 
field  of  work,  and  is  supporting  and  directing  six 
native  Christian  workers  in  that  field.  The  Indian 
Missionary  Society  of  Tinnevelly,  organized  in  1903, 
of  Christians  in  the  Tinnevelly  district,  now  supports 
seven  missionaries  who  are  carrying  on  successful 
work  in  the  Nizam's  Dominions  at  a  distance  of  over 
800  miles  from  the  home  base.  Besides  supporting 
their  own  missionaries,  this  society  maintains  fourteen 
Telugu  catechists,  and  has  a  number  of  other  workers 
in  special  training.  As  a  result  of  their  labors  there 
has  been  built  up  a  community  of  two  hundred  bap- 
tized Christians  and  about  800  catechumens.  The 
reflex  influence  has  shown  itself  in  greatly  increased 
self-sacrifice,  liberality,  and  prayerfulness  in  the  home 
Church.  In  1905  the  National  Missionary  Society  of 
India  was  organized  with  its  fields  of  labor  in  the 
Montgomery  district  of  the  Punjab  and  in  four  other 
parts  of  India. 

A  missionary  society  was  formed  four  years  ago  by 
members  of  the  Manchurian  Church  to  carry  the  Gos- 
pel to  the  outlying  parts  of  Manchuria  and  the  lands 
of  Mongolia  and  Korea.  Two  workers  at  that  time 
volunteered  for  service  anywhere.  The  little  congrega- 
tions, out  of  their  poverty,  gave  the  first  year  $750 
toward  this  movement.  The  two  volunteers  were 
ordained  as  pastors  and  sent  to  the  capital  of  Halung- 
kiang  Province,  several  hundred  miles  north.     There, 


c 
S 

►J 


AN   EFFICIENT   CHURCH  ON  THE   FIELD       177 


in  the  face  of  hardship  and  difficulty,  they  have  opened 
a  chapel  and  are  carrying  on  a  vigorous  propaganda. 
Chinese  Christians,  returning  from  California  to  the 
Kwangtung  Province,  were  greatly  distressed  at  the 
degradation  and  paganism  of  their  unconverted  rela- 
tives and  neighbors.  They  were  led  to  organize  the 
Chinese  Missionary  Society  of  California,  and  as  a 
result,  within  three  years,  four  churches  have  been 
organized,  and  eight  schools  have  been  opened.  The 
work  is  carried  on  without  any  foreign  supervision, 
and  is  supported  entirely  by  Chinese  Christians.  Jap- 
anese missionary  societies  have  been  formed  to  take 
the  Gospel  to  the  Japanese  in  Formosa,  Korea,  and 
Manchuria,  and  Korean  associations  have  been  organ- 
ized to  spread  Christian  truth  among  the  Koreans  in 
Manchuria,  Siberia,  Hawaii,  and  California. 

The  students  and  native  teachers  in  some  of  the 
mission  colleges  of  the  Orient  are  also  carrying  on 
missionary  work  in  distant  lands.  Possibly  the  best 
illustration  is  that  of  the  Jaffna  Students'  Missionary 
Society,  which  maintains  one  of  its  graduates  in  evan- 
gelistic work  among  the  Tamils  of  Southern  India. 
These  illustrations  are  typical  of  a  wide-spread  and 
growing  missionary  interest  in  the  native  Church. 
They  afford  ground  for  the  impression  which  some 
travelers  and  students  of  missions  have  formed,  that 
in  point  of  evangelistic  and  missionary  zeal  the  Church 
on  the  mission  field  compares  favorably  with  that  on 
the  home  field. 

All  this  effort  is  full  of  promise  for  the  future.  It 
shows  that  the  spirit  of  evangelism  has  taken  root  in 


Efforts  by 
Students  and 
Native 
Teachers 


Much  Zeal 
Yet  to  be 

Kindled 


178  DECISIVE   HOUR  OF   MISSIONS 

the  native  Churches,  and  that  in  them  it  is  proving 
itself  capable  of  growth.  But  notwithstanding  this 
fact,  it  is  true  that  in  many  places  such  a  spirit  is 
almost,  if  not  entirely,  lacking,  and  even  in  the  places 
where  the  situation  and  outlook  are  most  favorable 
there  is  need  of  increasing  the  efficiency  of  the  native 
Church.  This  is  not  at  all  surprising  when  we  reflect 
upon  the  conditions.  The  larger  part  of  the  native 
Church  in  Asia  and  Africa  has  been  but  comparatively 
recently  brought  out  of  the  selfishness  of  heathenism. 
Moreover,  heathenism  and  the  social  life  have  divided 
the  people  largely  into  tribes,  clans,  castes,  classes, 
with  much  mutual  help  within  these  groups,  but  with 
an  instinctive  drawing  away  from  all  others.  The 
missionary  spirit  of  Christianity  does  tend  to  overcome 
this  repulsion  and  indifference  to  those  outside,  but  it 
is  not  without  great  difficulty  and  not  without  divine 
assistance  that  Christians  of  the  first  generation  over- 
come it  and  become  filled  with  a  passion  for  helpful- 
ness. That  so  many  have  done  so  is  a  proof  of  the 
reality  of  their  Christianity,  but  that  must  not  blind 
us  to  the  fact  that  a  very  large  section  of  the  native 
churches  has  not  advanced  so  far  in  the  Christian  life. 
One  of  the  most  vital  and  pressing  of  all  questions  is : 
How  a  still  stronger  evangelistic  and  missionary  spirit 
is  to  be  developed  in  the  churches  on  the  various  mis- 
sion fields?  If  this  could  be  accomplished  a  great  step 
would  be  taken  towards  the  complete  evangelization  of 
the  world. 

Evang°5£tic  In  °rder  t<D  d°  this'  there  must  be>  first  of  a11'  mis" 

Leaders  sionaries  who  are  themselves  filled  with  the  evangelistic 


AN   EFFICIENT   CHURCH   ON  THE   FIELD       179 

spirit.  If  they  obviously  make  their  first  business  that 
of  bringing  others  under  the  sway  of  Christ,  their 
spirit  is  sure  to  become  communicative.  The  mission- 
ary should  not,  however,  rely  merely  upon  the  influence 
of  his  example ;  he  must  also  keep  urging  upon  the  con- 
verts the  privilege  as  well  as  the  duty  of  seeking  to 
influence  their  unconverted  neighbors  to  become  disci- 
ples of  Christ.  If  the  missionary  is  to  do  this  in  the 
face  of  all  the  difficulties  which  confront  him,  he  must 
have  a  clear  and  mastering  conviction  that  the  most 
highly-multiplying  work  he  can  do  is  that  of  increasing 
the  number  of  Christians  filled  with  the  desire  to  win 
others  to  Christ.  To  lead  a  hundred  Christians  to 
become  earnest  soul  winners  is  doubtless  a  more  pro- 
ductive work  than  for  one  by  himself  to  have  preached 
throughout  a  large  province,  however  desirable  the 
latter  work  may  be. 

There  is  much  to  commend  the  practice  which  is   Developing 
followed  by   the   American   Presbyterian   Mission   in   Evangelistic 
South  China.     The  leaders  of  that  mission  consider   Chnstians 
that  they  cannot  too  strongly  emphasize  the  duty  of 
the  saved  to  carry  the  Gospel  to  the  unsaved,  and  are 
in  the  habit  of  asking  converts  at  the  time  of  their  bap- 
tism if  they  are  willing  to  work  diligently  for  the  sal- 
vation of  others.    This  practice  results  in  a  constant 
stream  of  accessions  to  the  Church.     The  Canadian 
Presbyterian  Mission  in  Honan  has  the  same  policy. 
but  has  carried  it  even  further.     So  fully  have  they 
accepted  the  practice  of  leading  others  to  Christ  as  a 
necessary  mark  of  genuineness  on  the  part  of  the  con- 
vert, that,  as  a  mission,  they  have  decided  not  to  bap- 


i8o 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF   MISSIONS 


Definite 

Evangelistic 

Tasks 


Natives 
Taken  on 
Tours 


tize  any  person  unless  he  has  led  some  one  to  Christ. 
The  obligation  to  lead  others  into  the  Christian  life 
should,  however,  be  urged  upon  the  members  of  the 
Church,  not  only  at  conversion  but  constantly.  In  those 
missions  which  are  most  fruitful  in  evangelistic  results 
the  leaders  lose  no  opportunity  of  doing  this,  and 
doubtless  one  reason  why  so  many  native  Christians  in 
other  missions  are  not  actively  engaged  in  this  kind  of 
service  is  simply  that  they  have  not  been  so  carefully 
taught  their  duty  and  the  terrible  need  of  people  with- 
out Christ.  Wherever  Christians  are  led  to  have  a  real- 
izing sense  of  the  condition  of  the  people  without  the 
Gospel,  and  to  see  that  their  personal  efforts  are  indis- 
pensable to  meet  the  need,  they  are  much  more  likely 
to  give  themselves  to  this  unselfish  ministry. 

As  a  rule,  however,  it  is  necessary  to  do  more  than 
to  present  the  facts  of  the  obligation  and  need.  In 
addition  to  pressing  upon  the  native  Christian  his  duty 
to  evangelize  his  neighbors,  it  is  important  to  assign 
some  definite  evangelistic  task  to  him — something 
which  in  all  probability  will  not  be  done  unless  he 
does  it.  His  missionary  zeal  may  be  quickened  and 
his  efficiency  may  be  increased  by  thus  giving  him  a 
suitable  part  in  the  programme  of  extension.  It  will 
be  of  little  value,  however,  to  place  such  a  burden  upon 
him  if  he  be  not  trusted  with  it  and  left  to  discover 
his  own  way  of  carrying  it  out.  Otherwise  he  will  not 
feel  that  the  work  is  his  own. 

Missionaries  have  further  enlisted  native  Christians 
in  the  work  of  evangelization  by  taking  them  on  evan- 
gelistic tours.     Dr.  Mackay  of   Formosa  was  in  the 


AN  EFFICIENT   CHURCH  ON  THE   FIELD       181 

habit  of  taking  a  group  of  students  with  him  when 
he  went  out  to  preach  in  the  towns  and  villages,  and 
Mr.  Sherwood  Eddy  has  followed  the  same  method 
in  much  of  his  evangelistic  work  in  the  villages  of 
Southern  India.  In  this  way  those  who  accompany 
the  missionary  are  especially  influenced  by  the  example 
of  evangelistic  zeal  which  he  sets  for  them,  and  at 
the  same  time  they  receive  invaluable  instruction  as  to 
the  manner  and  methods  of  presenting  the  Gospel  and 
of  conducting  evangelistic  services.  The  missionary 
activity  of  those  who  take  part  in  these  tours  becomes 
much  more  vigorous  and  effective. 

Conferences  of  Christians  for  the  deepening  of  the  Spiritual  Life 
spiritual  life,  which  are  now  becoming  quite  as  com-  Conferences 
mon  on  the  mission  field  as  on  the  home  field,  are  of 
the  very  greatest  value  in  developing  the  evangelistic 
spirit.  By  purifying  and  strengthening  the  native 
workers  and  uniting  them  in  praying  and  planning 
they  have  exerted  a  powerful,  indirect  influence  in 
kindling  evangelistic  fires  in  the  communities  to  which 
the  delegates  have  returned.  The  Sialkot  Convention 
in  the  Punjab  is  one  of  the  most  famous  of  these 
gatherings.  It  had  its  origin  in  the  daily  prayer,  for 
more  than  two  years,  of  a  group  of  four  or  five  men, 
and  to-day  large  numbers  of  missionaries,  Indian  min- 
isters, lay  workers,  and  church  members  from  missions 
near  and  far  meet  together  for  prayer,  instruction, 
exhortation,  and  praise.  During  each  of  the  days  of 
the  convention  continuous  prayer  is  offered  during  the 
whole  twenty-four  hours.  Marvelous  outpourings  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  have  been  manifested ;  men  have  been 


182  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

led  to  confess  their  sins  and  to  make  restitution  for 
wrongs.  A  passion  to  win  men  to  Christ  has  resulted, 
and  also  a  desire  on  the  part  of  the  native  Christians 
to  attain  self-support  for  their  churches.  Conferences 
of  this  nature,  if  developed  and  wisely  guided,  will  do 
much  to  cultivate  within  the  Church  the  spirit  of  con- 
secration and  loyalty  to  Christ,  which  must  result  in 
the  effort  to  extend  His  Kingdom. 
Training  A  native  Church  cannot,  however,  become  efficient 

Agency6  as  an  evangelizing  agency  unless  it  be  ably  led.    Per- 

haps the  greatest  need,  therefore,  of  the  native  Church 
is  that  of  multiplying  the  number  of  well-qualified 
native  ministers  and  Christian  workers.  The  idea  of 
carrying  the  Gospel  to  the  whole  world  or  to  any  one 
of  the  great  non-Christian  nations  in  our  day,  apart 
from  the  raising  up  of  an  army  of  suitable  native  min- 
isters and  other  Christian  leaders,  is  not  likely  to  be 
realized.  Undoubtedly  several  thousands  of  the  choic- 
est spirits,  which  the  universities  and  colleges  of  the 
United  States,  Canada,  Great  Britain,  Australasia, 
Germany,  and  other  Christian  lands  can  furnish,  will 
be  required  to  pioneer  the  work  in  non-Christian  lands, 
to  plant  the  Church,  to  guide  the  Church  in  the  midst 
of  special  trials,  and,  above  all,  to  train  a  native  leader- 
ship ;  but  for  every  hundred  missionaries  there  will  be 
needed  thousands  of  native  workers  to  serve  as  pastors, 
teachers,  evangelists,  catechists,  and  Bible  women. 
The  necessity  for  a  thoroughly  trained  native  agency 
has  been  recognized  by  the  great  missionary  statesmen. 
Joseph  Neesima,  the  eminent  Japanese  Christian  edu- 
cator, after  years  of  Christian  work  in  Japan,  said  that 


AN  EFFICIENT   CHURCH  ON  THE  FIELD       183 

the  best  possible  method  to  evangelize  her  people  is  to 
raise  up  a  native  force.  Dr.  Goodrich  of  North 
China  urges  that  whether  this  question  be  viewed  eco- 
nomically, politically,  historically,  or  sociologically,  the 
only  sound  method  of  evangelizing  a  great  nation  is 
that  of  raising  up  and  using  a  qualified  native  agency. 
This  is  the  need  of  the  native  Church,  therefore,  on 
which  the  missionaries  should  concentrate  their  atten- 
tion. 

There  are  very  serious  difficulties  to  be  overcome   Difficulties- 
before  this  need  can  be  met.     In  most  non-Christian  Religious 
countries  religious  workers  are  held  in  contempt.    This  .g 

is  unlike  what  one  usually  finds  in  the  United  States 
and  Canada  and  in  other  Western  lands,  where  the 
Christian  ministry  has  dignity  and  prestige  as  a  result 
of  its  honorable  position  and  influence  for  centuries. 
Throughout  Asia  to-day,  largely  as  a  result  of  the  cor- 
rupt lives  of  many  of  the  priests,  the  religious  callings 
are  looked  down  upon,  if  not  despised.  Unwillingness 
to  incur  the  reproach  which  often  attaches  to  the  native 
worker  who  is  related  to  the  foreigner,  is  another  diffi- 
culty which  keeps  many  from  entering  Christian 
service  as  a  life-work.  They  do  not  like  to  be 
called  foreign  hirelings,  as  a  Japanese  expressed 
it;  or,  as  a  Chinese  put  it,  they  do  not  want  to 
be  twitted  with  eating  the  foreigner's  rice.  There  is 
also  the  question  of  status  which  seems  to  stand  in  the 
way  of  some  in  India  and  other  lands.  That  is,  the 
native  workers  feel  that  they  are  entitled  to  more 
power,  liberty,  and  responsibility  than  they  have,  that 
they  should  receive  larger  recognition,  that  more  conn- 


184  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

dence  should  be  shown  in  them  by  the  missionaries. 
In  some  cases  they  have  good  reasons  for  this  opinion, 
but  doubtless  in  more  cases  their  attitude  is  due  to  a 
misconception  of  the  motives  and  spirit  of  the  mission- 
aries. Nevertheless,  this  is  a  very  real  difficulty  and 
it  is  not  easily  overcome. 
Opposition  The  opposition  of  parents  and  relatives  is  a  very 

of  Relatives—  great  hindrance  to  securing  native  Christians  of  ability 
Commercial  for  the  ministrv#  Tn  countries  where  the  Confucian 
ethics  dominate,  or  where  the  system  of  caste  exists, 
or  in  parts  of  the  world  like  Africa  where  there  are 
strong  tribal  bonds,  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  for  young 
men  to  enter  Christian  callings  in  the  face  of  the 
expressed  objection  of  parents,  relatives,  and  friends. 
The  attractions  presented  by  commercial  pursuits,  by 
government  service,  and  by  other  so-called  secular 
walks  of  life,  is  a  prominent  reason,  if  not  the  princi- 
pal one,  why  it  is  so  difficult  to-day  to  get  a  sufficient 
number  of  able  native  students  to  devote  their  lives 
to  Christian  work.  The  salaries  paid  in  the  secular 
callings  range  all  the  way  from  a  little  larger  to  thirty 
or  more  times  greater  than  is  paid  in  Christian  service. 
It  is  just  as  if  the  students  of  the  United  States  and 
Canada  were  offered  salaries  of  $5,000  to  $10,000  to 
enter  certain  business,  professional,  or  political  posi- 
tions. If  this  were  done,  it  would  greatly  increase  the 
difficulty  of  inducing  a  sufficient  number  of  men  to 
enter  the  Christian  ministry  at  home. 
Lack  of  A  lack  of  spirituality  is  perhaps  the  most  serious  of 

Spirituality        all  the  causes  making  it  difficult  to  get  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  able  native  leaders   for   Christian  work.     In 


AN   EFFICIENT   CHURCH  ON  THE   FIELD       185 

non-Christian  lands  there  are  many  young  men  who 
have  a  hold  upon  Christianity,  but  upon  whom  Chris- 
tianity does  not  have  a  powerful  hold.  Wherever  one 
finds  native  Christians  upon  whom  the  Spirit  of  God 
has  laid  His  mighty  hand,  one  finds  men  eager  to  enter 
upon  the  service  of  their  fellow-men  and  therefore 
willing  to  face  the  hardships,  opposition,  and  sacrifices 
involved. 

The  lack  of  adequate  efforts  and  measures  to  dis-  Faithful 
cover  and  enlist  more  workers  of  the  right  qualifica-   Pushing  of 
tions  is  one  of  the  most  fundamental  reasons  why  they  tne  Work 
are  not  forthcoming.  Societies  which  have  given  most 
attention  to  this  problem  are  the  ones  which  have  suc- 
ceeded in  raising  up  the  largest  number  of  effective 
leaders.    The  missionaries  who  desire  most  earnestly 
to  be  used  by  God  in  enlisting  young  men  and  young 
women  for  this  all-important  service  and  who  have 
given  time  to  this  work  are  those  who  are  turning 
the  largest  number  of  young  men  and  young  women 
into  Christian  work  as  a  life-work. 

What  can  be  done  to  meet  the  difficulties  to  which   Schools 

attention  has  been  called  and  to  raise  up  the  army  of   witn  &« 

native  Christian  workers  who  will  lead  the  forces  of   Evangelistic 

Ideal 
the  Church  on  the  mission  field  to  accomplish  the 

evangelization  of  the  non-Christian  world  ?  It  is  neces- 
sary greatly  to  enlarge  and  to  strengthen  the  educa- 
tional missionary  work.  While  there  is  need  of  im- 
proving the  material  equipment  of  mission  schools  and 
colleges  there  is  even  greater  need  of  adding  to  the 
force  of  educational  missionaries.  At  present  this  part 
of  the  foreign  staff  is  far  too  small.  It  is  poor  economy 


1 86  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

to  erect  large  educational  plants  and  leave  them  under- 
manned to  such  a  degree  that  they  fall  short  of  being 
productive  investments.  The  workers  in  many  cases 
are  so  overburdened  with  the  technical  work  of  teach- 
ing, which  ought,  for  the  honor  of  the  Church,  to  be 
kept  up  to  scholarly  standards,  that  they  are  not  able 
to  give  the  time  that  they  so  much  desire  to  devote 
to  the  most  vital  part  of  all,  influencing  deeply  the 
faith,  the  character,  and  the  life  plans  of  the  students. 
The  staff  in  every  place,  where  necessary,  should  be 
increased  to  such  an  extent  that  each  educational 
missionary  will  have  time  to  do  personal  work  and  to 
pray  with  the  students.  In  choosing  educational  mis- 
sionaries particular  care  should  be  exercised  to  select 
those  who,  in  addition  to  their  scholastic  attainments 
and  their  high  qualifications  as  educationists,  are  also 
dominated  by  the  desire  and  purpose  to  influence  their 
students  to  become  Christians  and  to  devote  their 
lives  to  Christian  service.  The  Presbyterian  College, 
established  by  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Calvin  Mateer  in  the 
Shantung  Province  of  China,  has  throughout  its  his- 
tory yielded  a  remarkably  large  proportion  of  its 
strongest  students  for  the  service  of  the  Church.  The 
main  reason  for  founding  the  college  was  that  it  might 
raise  up  and  train  a  native  ministry,  and  the  main  en- 
ergies of  the. educational  missionaries  were  expended 
in  this  direction.  Dr.  Mateer  seldom  uttered  a  prayer 
but  the  burden  was  that  God  would  raise  up  men  to  be 
pastors  and  leaders  of  the  Church.  The  students  knew 
that  Pastor  Ding,  who  has  recently  been  so  greatly 
used     in     promoting     spiritual     awakenings     among 


Movements 


AN  EFFICIENT  CHURCH  ON  THE  FIELD       187 

students  in  China,  had  the  same  wish,  and  in  going 
to  him,  as  invited,  for  conversation,  went  armed  with 
reasons  why  it  was  absolutely  impossible  for  them  to 
be  ministers.  But  Ding  never  mentioned  the  subject  - 
to  them,  but  went  to  God  in  private.  The  result  was 
that  after  a  while  the  students  thronged  his  room,  with 
the  same  difficulties,  but  urging  him  to  pray  that  these 
might  be  removed  and  recording  the  purpose  to  enter 
the  ministry.  Scores  of  them  decided  to  enter  this 
calling. 

The  Student  Young  Men's  and  Young  Women's  Help  of 
Christian  Association  movements  and  other  societies  &*  Christian 
of  Christian  students  in  the  non-Christian  world  can  Association 
also  help  greatly  in  the  work  of  recruiting  the  ranks 
of  Christian  workers.  In  fact,  these  societies  were 
established  by  the  missionaries  or  at  the  call  of  the 
missionaries  for  the  express  purpose  of  helping  the 
Church  to  evangelize  students  and  to  influence  them 
to  devote  their  lives  to  Christian  service.  In  a  true 
sense  they  constitute  a  student  volunteer  movement 
for  home  missions.  The  methods  employed  by  them 
are  such  as  have  been  most  fruitful  in  the  student 
communities  of  the  West.  The  devotional,  construc- 
tive study  of  the  Bible  is  much  emphasized.  There  are 
to-day  over  5,000  native  Christian  students  engaged  in 
the  Bible  classes  of  these  Associations.  Among  other 
methods  used  are  personal  work,  evangelistic  cam- 
paigns in  the  neighborhood  and  during  vacations  in 
more  remote  districts,  and  the  development  of  study 
of  the  work  of  the  Church.  Greater  stress  should  be 
laid  by  all  these  societies  on  influencing  the  strongest 


i88 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Giving 

Responsible 

Leadership 


students  to  devote  themselves  to  Christian  work  as  a 
life-work.  Visits  should  be  made  more  frequently  by 
secretaries  to  the  mission  colleges  with  this  one  end 
in  view.  In  each  of  a  number  of  these  Associations 
within  the  past  few  years,  such  as  at  Peking  Univer- 
sity, Shantung  Union  College,  and  the  College  at 
Assiut,  Egypt,  between  one  and  two  hundred  students 
have  been  led  to  dedicate  their  lives  to  Christian  serv- 
ice. Were  special  efforts  made,  similar  results  might 
be  forthcoming  in  many  other  mission  schools.  The 
Associations  in  the  government  colleges  are  also  help- 
ing to  secure  recruits  for  the  Christian  ministry.  No 
graduates  of  the  Imperial  University  of  Japan  had 
ever  entered  the  ministry  until  the  Association  had 
been  at  work  for  some  years,  but  now  three  graduates 
are  in  the  ministry  and  several  others  are  preparing 
for  this  calling. 

An  important  means  of  securing  and  developing  able 
native  leaders  of  the  Church  is  to  give  men  of  ability 
places  of  real  leadership.  Leaders  can  never  be  devel- 
oped except  through  bearing  responsibility.  The  for- 
eign missionary  must,  therefore,  more  and  more 
recognize  that  the  work  on  the  mission  field  is  pri- 
marily that  of  the  native  leader  and  minister  and  not 
that  of  the  foreign  missionary  with  the  native  as 
helper.  The  missionary  must  have  the  spirit  of  John 
the  Baptist  and,  in  loving  humility,  must  be  willing  to 
decrease  that  the  native  worker  may  increase  in  ability, 
f ruitfulness,  and  position.  The  efficient  native  Church 
will  not  have  fully  come  until  its  full  leadership  is  in 
the  hands  of  native  Christians.     The  wise  missionary 


E 

:  i    A 

1  \   " 

L 

>>* 

« 

AN  EFFICIENT  CHURCH  ON  THE   FIELD       189 

will  work  and  pray  and  place  himself  in  the  back- 
ground that  this  may  be  accomplished  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment.  He  will  rejoice  when  the  initiative 
is  taken  by  the  native  ministers  and  workers  rather 
than  by  himself,  and  will  be  pleased  with  the  more 
obscure  position  of  sympathetic  counselor  and  friend 
rather  than  that  of  the  authoritative  leader  of  the 
Church. 

One  of  the  deepest  secrets  of  enlisting  an  adequate   Spiritual 
number  of   leaders  of  the   native  Church,  possessed   Atmosphere 
with  the  evangelistic  spirit,  is  the  development  of  the   n^-A 
spiritual  life  of  the  native  Church.     Out  of  such  a 
Church  will  come  men  who  are  willing  to  offer  them- 
selves for  Christian  service  in  the  face  of  all  the  diffi- 
culties which  they  meet.    It  is,  therefore,  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  methods  be  employed  to  build  up  the 
faith  and  character  of  the  native  Christians  and  to  lead 
them  to  yield  themselves  wholly  to  the  sway  of  Christ 
and  His  Spirit. 

Above  all  there  is  need  for  far  more  intercession  Use  of 
for  the  raising  up  and  thrusting  forth  of  this  army  of  Intercession 
native  leaders.  This  is  necessary  in  order  to  make  all 
the  other  means  truly  effective  and  most  largely  pro- 
ductive. It  is  the  only  means  on  which  Christ  has 
placed  stress  in  connection  with  solving  the  problem 
of  securing  workers.  Any  method,  therefore,  which 
neglects  this  point  is  superficial.  The  Church  should 
not  leave  unappropriated  and  unapplied  this  great 
force  for  the  raising  up  and  enlisting  of  laborers. 
Moreover,  it  is  a  means  which  is  available  to  the 
humblest  and  most  obscure  Christian,  both  at  home 


190  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

and  on  the  mission  field.  It  is,  therefore,  possible  for 
each  Christian  to  be  mightily  used  in  helping  to  solve 
the  problem  of  securing  an  efficient  Church  on  the  mis- 
sion field  by  using  the  divinely  appointed  and  all- 
prevailing  method  commanded  by  Christ. 


THE  REQUIREMENTS  OF  THE 

PRESENT  SITUATION: 
THE    SUPERHUMAN    FACTOR 


CHAPTER   VII 

THE  REQUIREMENTS  OF  THE  PRESENT  SITUATION  :  THE 
SUPERHUMAN    FACTOR 

As  one  surveys  the  enormous  task  involved  in  making  A  Divine 
Christ  known  to  all  the  world,  and  realizes  the  inade-  Enterprise 
quacy  of  human  agents  and  agencies  as  well  as  of 
human  policy  and  strategy,  the  first  impression  is  that 
the  Church  is  totally  unable  to  discharge  its  over- 
whelming responsibility.  The  next  and  dominant  im- 
pression is  that  Almighty  God  is  able,  and  that  the 
Church  must  be  led  to  avail  itself  of  His  limitless 
resources  to  a  degree  hitherto  unknown  since  that 
vital  age — the  first  generation  of  Christianity.  Mis- 
sionaries, native  Christian  workers,  and  leaders  of  the 
missionary  activities  on  the  home  field,  while  they 
differ  on  nearly  all  questions  pertaining  to  plans, 
means,  and  methods,  are  absolutely  united  in  the  con- 
viction that  the  world's  evangelization  is  a  divine  enter- 
prise, that  the  Spirit  of  God  is  the  great  Missioner, 
and  that  only  as  He  dominates  the  work  and  workers 
can  we  hope  for  success  in  the  undertaking  to  carry 
the  knowledge  of  Christ  to  all  people.  They  believe 
that  He  gave  the  missionary  impulse  to  the  early 
Church,  and  that  to-day  all  true  mission  work  must 
be  inaugurated,  directed,  and  sustained  by  Him. 

193 


X- 


194 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Dependence 
on  the  Liv- 
ing God 


Divine 
Control  of 
the  World 


God  Prepares 
the  Way 


No  lesson  of  missionary  experience  has  been  more 
fully,  impressively,  and  convincingly  taught  than  that, 
apart  from  the  divine  working,  all  is  inadequate.  The 
hope  and  guarantee  of  carrying  the  Gospel  to  all  the 
non-Christian  world  do  not  rest  principally  on  external 
favoring  advantages  which  Christianity  may  possess  in 
certain  fields ;  nor  upon  the  character  and  progress  of 
the  civilization  of  Christian  countries;  nor  upon  the 
number,  strength,  experience,  and  administrative  abil- 
ity of  the  missionary  societies;  nor  upon  the  variety 
and  adaptability  of  missionary  methods  and  the  effi- 
ciency of  missionary  machinery ;  nor  upon  an  army 
of  missionary  evangelists,  preachers,  teachers,  doctors, 
and  translators — much  as  these  are  needed ;  nor  upon 
the  relation  of  the  money  power  to  the  plans  of  the 
Kingdom ;  nor  upon  aggressive,  and  ably  led,  forward 
missionary  movements,  either  in  the  home  Churches 
or  on  the  foreign  field — but  upon  the  living  God 
dominating,  possessing,  and  using  all  these  factors  and 
influences. 

Everything  vital  to  the  success  of  the  movement  to 
carry  the  Gospel  to  all  the  non-Christian  world  depends 
upon  the  power  of  God  Himself.  In  His  hands  is  the 
government  of  the  world.  He  has  intrusted  enormous 
powers  to  Christian  nations.  His  providence  has 
opened  the  door  to  the  non-Christian  countries,  deter- 
mined the  order  of  their  occupation,  and  developed 
agencies  and  influences  which  facilitate  the  spread  of 
Christianity.  "* 

Investigation  has  furnished  countless  illustrations, 
showing  that  God  has  preceded  the  messengers  of  the 


THE  SUPERHUMAN  FACTOR  195 

Gospel,  and  prepared  the  people  to  understand  it  and 
to  be  responsive  to  it.  The  Spirit  of  God  is  working 
continuously  in  all  parts  of  the  world  in  the  hearts  of 
men,  apart  altogether  from  the  main  channel  of  His 
revelation,  which  culminated  in  Christ.  Christian  work- 
ers, therefore,  should  approach  people  with  their  mes- 
sage, recognizing  that  the  Spirit  has  preceded  them. 
This  normal  working  of  the  Spirit  universally  in  the 
human  heart  should  be  recognized,  and  every  mani- 
festation of  His  working  should  be  welcomed,  in  the 
belief  that  "  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons  but  in 
every  nation  he  that  feareth  him  and  worketh  right- 
eousness is  acceptable  to  him/'  Unquestionably  God 
had  been  working  in  the  world  through  all  the  cen- 
turies before  the  coming  of  Christ.  "  My  Father 
worketh  even  until  now,  and  I  work."  He  has  been 
working  through  the  non-Christian  religions,  not  alone 
in  using  such  truths  as  they  may  possess  for  the  better- 
ment of  men,  but  also  in  making  these  religions  a 
schoolmaster  to  lead  the  peoples  to  recognize  in  due 
time  their  need  of  Christ.  The  Rev.  E.  Allegret,  a 
missionary  of  the  French  Congo,  has  thus  described 
his  experience,  which  is  similar  to  that  of  many  other 
missionaries  in  different  parts  of  the  world :  "  I  have 
been  witness  to  numerous  genuine  conversions  fol- 
lowed by  lives  truly  transformed,  but  that  which  has 
astonished  me  the  most  is,  that  time  after  time  I  have 
come  among  people  who  were  expecting  me  and  who 
were  prepared  to  receive  my  Gospel  message.  One 
time  a  company  of  natives  after  a  long  march  emerged 
from  the  great  forest  and  arrived  upon  the  banks  of 


196 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Workers  by 
Divine  Ap- 
pointment 


the  river  where  they  found  us.  They  reported  that 
they  had  wondered  whether  in  following  the  sun  they 
might  not  find  God,  and  they  indicated  that  it  seemed 
quite  natural  that  God  should  enable  them  to  meet  us 
and  should  thus  answer  their  unconscious  prayer." 

It  is  God  who  chooses  and  thrusts  forth  the  workers 
of  His  own  appointment.  The  pages  of  missionary 
history  teach  no  lesson  with  more  abundant  and  satis- 
fying illustrations.  The  leaders  of  the  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society,  of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  and  of 
other  missionary  organizations,  have  borne  testimony 
to  the  fact,  that  again  and  again,  when  they  have 
greatly  needed  missionary  candidates  but  have  been 
unable  to  secure  them,  and  have  made  their  need  a  sub- 
ject of  united  intercession,  invariably  the  new  workers 
have  been  forthcoming.  On  the  authority  of  Christ,  it 
is  hopeless  to  expect  to  secure  a  sufficient  number  of 
missionaries  apart  from  His  compelling  power,  and  even 
were  it  possible,  they  would  prove  incompetent  for  the 
great  work.  Experience  is  showing  that  when  chosen 
and  dominated  by  His  Spirit,  a  few  men  can  do  more 
than  an  army  chosen  only  by  men.  It  is  He  who  com- 
municates to  the  workers,  both  foreign  and  native, 
power  not  naturally  their  own,  which  qualifies  them 
to  do  His  work.  He  it  is  who  guides  workers  as 
truly  to-day  as  in  New  Testament  times,  to  discover 
the  lines  along  which  the  Kingdom  is  to  be  extended 
and  built  up.  The  large,  growing,  and  permanent 
spiritual  results  are  the  product  of  His  gracious  and 
life-giving  work.  The  secret  of  the  power  of  those 
missionaries  who  accomplish  the  largest  and  deepest 


THE   SUPERHUMAN   FACTOR  197 

work  is  not  what  they  do  and  say,  but  the  presence  of 
Christ  in  them,  and  with  them.  They  see  with  His 
eyes,  feel  with  His  heart,  work  with  His  energies. 
Christ  is  everything  with  them.  They  move  among 
men  as  embodiments  of  His  superhuman  power,  under 
Whose  vitalizing  touch  dead  souls  start  into  life.  The 
power  of  God  may  be  seen  also  in  the  ability  given  to 
His  servants  to  go  on  working  steadily  year  in  and 
year  out,  even  with  little  or  no  apparent  results,  but 
sustained  by  a  sense  of  duty  and  by  an  undying  hope 
that  the  Lord  will  surely  see  of  the  travail  of  His  soul 
and  be  satisfied.  Moreover,  no  one  but  the  almighty 
Spirit  can  cause  the  missionaries  of  the  different  Chris- 
tian communions,  and  also  the  native  Christian  work- 
ers, to  work  with  that  harmony  and  unity  and  spirit 
of  true  brotherhood  which  are  essential  to  universal 
conquest. 

God  alone  enables  workers  to  face  with  calm  and  Courage 
courageous  hearts  the  stupendous  obstacles  and  difii-  Given  to  Face 
culties  which  lie  across  their  path,  and  to  triumph  over 
them.  The  fearful  inertia  and  conservatism  of  the 
non-Christian  world ;  the  prevalence  of  ignorance,  su- 
perstition, falsehood,  moral  perversity  and  coarseness, 
fear,  fatalism,  godlessness,  selfishness,  and  loveless- 
ness  ;  racial  prejudice  and  antagonisms ;  the  corrupt 
lives  and  practices  of  representatives  of  Christen- 
dom— all  this  would  leave  the  workers  discouraged 
and  dismayed  were  it  not  for  faith  in  the  living  Christ. 
Only  the  quickening  powers  of  His  Gospel  can  over- 
throw or  transform  systems  of  error  rooted  for  thou- 
sands of  years,  and  entwined  with  the  laws,  institu- 


Difficulties 


198  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

tions,  customs,  and  sentiments  of  peoples  of  ancient 
civilizations.  The  vast  extent  of  the  work  to  be  done 
and  the  subtle  and  baffling  obstacles  which  oppose,  are 
such  that  nothing  less  than  the  action  of  the  omnipo- 
tent God  behind  the  presentation  of  the  truth  of  Christ 
will  enable  it  to  prevail  and  overcome. 
Events  It  is  God  who  overrules  occasions  and  events,  human 

Overruled  movements  and  powers,   for  the  furtherance  of  the 

Gospel.  Diplomacy  has  often  been  unfortunate ;  com- 
merce has  selfishly  opposed  the  spread  of  Christianity ; 
the  prejudice  of  the  officials  and  of  the  people  has 
resisted  the  introduction  of  the  Gospel.  But  all  these, 
together  with  persecutions,  wars,  and  national  calami- 
ties, have  been  turned  to  the  progress  of  the  Gospel. 
Many  have  called  attention  to  the  overruling  hand  of 
God  in  connection  with  the  Boxer  uprising  in  China. 
They  recognize  His  power  and  guidance  in  the  fact 
that  the  very  action  which  was  intended  to  extirpate 
Christianity  from  China  has  had,  as  one  of  its  results, 
an  unprecedented  forward  movement  in  missionary 
work  in  that  country,  and  that  since  the  year  1900  the 
doors  have  been  opened  to  the  Gospel  far  wider  than 
before.  Dr.  Ford  of  Syria  says,  "  Rarely  has  the  hand 
of  God  been  more  plainly  revealed  in  the  march  of 
human  events  than  it  was  in  the  crises  of  July,  1908 
and  April,  1909  in  Turkey.  These  are  indications  of 
the  revelation  of  the  supernatural  factor  in  advancing 
the  Kingdom  of  God  in  the  world." 
The  Holy  Modern    missions    constantly    confirm    the   fact   so 

Spirit  Con-        prone  to  be  forgotten,  that  it  is  the  Spirit  of  God 
victs  of  Sin       Who  alone  has  the  power  to  convict  men  of  sin.   It  is 


THE   SUPERHUMAN   FACTOR  199 

only  when  He  convicts  of  sin  and  of  dire  need  that 
the  soul  becomes  willing  to  hear  of  Christ  as  a  Saviour. 
The  genuine  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  as  shown  in  convic- 
tion, repentance,  restitution,  and  the  making  up  of 
long-standing  quarrels,  have  afforded  convincing  proof 
that  God  alone  brings  home  the  Gospel  with  power  to 
the  hearts  and  consciences  of  men.  Even  in  discourag- 
ing fields  of  China,  He  has  shown  His  ability  to  over- 
come the  fear  of  "  loss  of  face,"  and  to  call  forth 
heartbreaking  confessions — not  of  ordinary  shortcom- 
ings and  failures,  but  of  sins  which  the  Chinese  would 
endure  anything  in  order  to  conceal.  Men  have  been 
moved  to  confession  of  sin  through  the  working  of  this 
unseen  Agent  in  their  lives,  who  could  not  be  moved 
by  any  human  agency  or  influence.  The  Chinese  are 
naturally  a  stolid  people,  little  given  to  emotion;  but 
workers  state  that  such  rending  of  the  heart  under 
conviction  of  sin  they  have  never  seen  in  the  home 
lands.  Bishop  Warne  gives  this  remarkable  testimony : 
"  After  twenty  years  of  personal  experience  and  close 
observation,  I  can  testify  that,  apart  from  the  direct 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  convicting  non-Christians 
of  sin,  I  have  never  known  the  conversion  of  an  indi- 
vidual to  the  real  Christian  life  and  experience. 
Among  a  people  whose  consciences  are  educated  in 
the  vagaries  of  the  Vedantic  philosophy  of  India, 
which  leaves  the  individual  without  a  consciousness  of 
personal  and  moral  responsibility,  there  is  absolutely 
no  hope  except  in  the  awakening  to,  or  the  creating 
of,  a  consciousness  of  sin  and  moral  responsibility  by 
the  direct  work  of  the  Spirit  of  God.     I  have  seen 


200  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

thousands  of  instances  of  awakening  and  transforma- 
tions of  character  nothing  short  of  the  miraculous." 

There  can  be  no  more  marked  and  unmistakable 
proof  of  a  present-day  working  of  a  superhuman 
power  than  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  such  con- 
versions as  are  taking  place  in  increasing  numbers  from 
year  to  year  in  all  parts  of  the  non-Christian  world. 
The  breaking  down,  for  example,  of  the  pride  of  a 
Moslem  until,  conscious  of  his  sin,  he  humbles  himself 
at  the  Cross,  and  becomes  a  new  man  in  Christ  Jesus, 
is  a  contemporary  evidence  of  the  superhuman  charac- 
ter of  the  Christian  faith.  The  Rev.  G.  Raquette,  of 
the  Swedish  Mission  in  Turkestan,  gives  an  account 
of  the  conversion  of  a  Mohammedan  mullah :  "He 
had  tried  for  years  in  vain  to  fulfill  the  commandments 
of  the  Mohammedan  religion.  He  saw  only  faults  in 
himself  and  in  his  religion,  and  could  find  no  light.  At 
last  he  began  quite  secretly  to  think  of  Jesus  Christ, 
whose  name  he  had  seen  in  the  Koran.  Something 
within  him  seemed  to  tell  him  that  Jesus  was  the 
Prophet  by  whom  he  could  find  the  way  to  God.  But 
there  were  no  Christians,  no  teachers,  and  no  books  to 
instruct  him.  Then  he  began  to  pray  to  God  in  the 
name  of  Christ.  He  kept  up  this  practice  every  day 
for  nine  years,  until  one  day  he  found  a  copy  of  the 
Gospels,  and  then  found  a  great  light  and  peace.  He 
became  exceedingly  delighted  and  happy.  He  became 
baptized,  and  was  the  first  Mohammedan  of  Bok- 
hara to  find  Christ."  The  Rev.  W.  M.  Beck,  of  the 
Lutheran  Mission  in  Liberia,  tells  of  the  conversion 
of  another  Moslem :    "  One  morning  I  met  a  mullah, 


THE   SUPERHUMAN   FACTOR  201 

and  after  some  friendly  conversation  asked  him  to 
explain  his  doctrine,  which  he  was  glad  to  do  at  con- 
siderable length.  Then  I  repeated  to  him  the  Gospel 
story  and  compared  the  leaders  of  the  Christian  and 
Mohammedan  faiths  and  their  doctrines.  He  was 
deeply  impressed,  and  on  parting  remarked,  '  If  what 
you  say  is  true,  and  I  believe  it  is,  I  must  quit  teach- 
ing Mohammed  and  teach  Jesus.'  Some  days  later, 
when  I  met  his  son,  he  told  me  that  his  father  had 
turned  from  teaching  the  Koran  and  was  preaching 
Jesus." 

The  fact  that  men  who  were  living  indifferent,  Striking 
callous,  degraded,  sensual,  proud,  cruel  lives  have  Examples 
become  pure,  faithful,  kind,  spiritual,  and  zealous,  and 
that  they  are  triumphantly  resisting  their  old  tempta- 
tions, is  satisfying  evidence  that  there  is  a  power 
greater  than  human  in  the  missionary  movement.  The 
story  of  "  Old  Wang,"  one  of  the  first  men  baptized 
in  the  United  Free  Church  Mission  in  Manchuria,  has 
often  been  told.  He  was  converted  from  being  a 
selfish  opium  slave  to  an  earnest  Christian  worker, 
who  devoted  his  whole  life  to  the  well-being  of  others. 
His  mother  and  his  younger  brother  became  Christian 
believers  as  a  result  of  observing  the  mighty  change 
in  his  own  life.  Dr.  J.  E.  Walker,  of  Foochow,  tells 
of  another  opium  convert :  "  He  was  not  a  man  of 
strong  will  and  was  a  complete  slave  to  the  terrible 
opium  habit,  but  through  the  prayers  and  faithful  min- 
istry of  one  of  our  preachers,  he  has  been  completely 
delivered.  The  almost  universal  testimony  of  physi- 
cians who  have  had  to  deal  with  such  cases  is  that 


202  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

thorough  enslavement  to  this  habit  is  attended  with  a 
physical  degeneracy  and  a  weakening  of  the  will  which 
renders  reform  a  physical  or  human  impossibility." 
The  Rev.  O.  Bodding,  of  Santalia,  India,  has  written 
about  the  conversion  of  an  honorary  magistrate  who 
was  addicted  to  many  of  the  heathen  vices :  "  He  had 
spoken  very  disdainfully  to  others,  and  had  sworn  that 
he  would  never  become  a  Christian.  Purposely  I  did 
not  speak  to  him  about  Christ,  and  I  forbade  others 
to  do  so.  Many  had  tried  to  influence  him,  but  had 
been  routed  by  him.  I  centered  my  hope  in  prayer  on 
his  behalf,  and  in  the  Word  of  God,  in  which  I  sought 
to  interest  him.  We  read  together  the  book  of 
Romans.  It  filled  him  with  questionings.  It  was  plain 
that  the  Spirit  of  God  was  working  in  his  heart.  After 
about  four  months  he  made  up  his  mind  and  asked  to 
be  taken  under  instruction  for  baptism.  He  is  now  the 
leader  of  one  of  our  congregations,  and  through  the 
grace  of  God  is  a  redeemed  and  cleansed  character. 
He  was  gained  solely  through  the  influence  of  the 
Spirit  working  through  the  Scriptures. "  The  Rev. 
F.  J.  F.  Van  Hasselt  of  Dutch  New  Guinea  tells  of 
the  conversion  of  one  of  the  fiercest  opponents  of 
Christianity.  He  says  that  he  was  "  a  drunkard,  adul- 
terer, robber,  and  murderer — one  who,  under  a  regular 
government,  would  have  been  a  candidate  for  the  scaf- 
fold. He  called  on  me  and  asked  to  be  baptized,  being 
tired  of  sin.  I  could  hardly  trust  my  ears,  as  I  had 
almost  given  him  up  as  hopeless.  After  a  time  of  pro- 
bation he  was  baptized,  and  has  ever  since  lived  an 
exemplary  life.    He  often  accompanies  me  at  his  own 


THE   SUPERHUMAN   FACTOR 


203 


request  on  evangelistic  tours,  and  gives  a  powerful  tes- 
timony. Although  belonging  to  the  higher  class,  he  is 
not  ashamed  to  repair  my  boat  and  serve  me  without 
accepting  payment.  In  view  of  cases  like  this,  one  can- 
not doubt  the  personal  working  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

Director  P.  A.  Gericke,  working  on  the  island  of  Conversion 
Java,  has  thus  told  of  the  conversion  of  a  Mohamme-  of  a  Java 
dan  village  magistrate.  "  He  stole  money  from  the  Maeistrate 
Government  and  ran  away  to  another  part  of  Java, 
where  he  settled  down  under  a  changed  name.  There 
he  came  in  contact  with  Christians,  attended  the  meet- 
ings, received  baptismal  instruction,  and  was  later  bap- 
tized. On  account  of  his  good  conduct  and  his  talents, 
one  of  our  missionaries  made  him  his  helper.  One  day 
he  came  to  the  missionary  and  asked  for  his  dismissal 
on  the  ground  of  unworthiness.  As  a  reason  he  named 
the  theft  which  he,  as  a  magistrate,  had  committed 
years  before.  Although  not  compelled  to  do  so,  he 
gave  himself  up  of  his  own  accord  to  the  police,  be- 
cause he  felt  that  only  in  this  way  could  he  satisfy  his 
conscience.  The  Dutch  officials  were  profoundly 
impressed  by  his  action.  In  the  prison  he  preached 
Christ,  and  showed  forth  an  attractive  Christian  life." 

Nothing  but  the  uplifted  Christ,  drawing  men  to  Attraction  of 
Himself,  will  account  for  the  noble  and  Christlike  the  Uplifted 
characters  raised  up  on  the  mission  fields  from  among 
those  whose  lives  were  degraded  and  whose  natures 
were  hardened  and  unresponsive.  It  is  in  Him  they  be- 
gin to  see  God,  for  He  brings  God  near  to  them  and  re- 
veals to  them  God's  loving-kindness  and  saving  power. 
In  Him  they  see  in  human  form  and  action  the  holi- 


Christ 


204 


DECISIVE  HOUR   OF  MISSIONS 


Grasping  the 

Gospel 

Message 


ness,  love,  and  power  of  the  unseen  God.  One  after 
another,  men  and  women  in  middle  and  advanced  life, 
as  well  as  the  young,  give  up  their  pride  and  sinful 
practices,  and  all  that  has  made  up  the  essence  of  their 
unholy  life  in  the  past,  and  then  go  out  and  testify  by 
life  and  word  among  their  neighbors  that  they  have 
passed  from  darkness  into  light.  The  Rev.  R.  Fass- 
mann,  of  German  East  Africa,  tells  of  an  aged  woman 
named  Mandoro,  who  in  the  course  of  instruction  for 
baptism,  in  answer  to  his  question  whether  there  was 
a  sinless  human  being  on  earth,  replied  that  there  was 
one,  and  on  further  questioning  she  mentioned  the 
name  of  a  Christian  man  in  the  community  and  told 
of  his  Christlike  deeds.  Missionaries  who  have 
observed  these  radical  changes,  and  who  have  had 
opportunity  to  talk  with  such  persons,  to  see  the  way 
in  which  the  problems  of  life  are  faced  by  them  from 
the  Christian  standpoint,  to  understand  their  motives 
and  spirit,  and  to  watch  their  consistent  Christian  lives, 
have  no  doubt  whatever  that  God  and  not  man  is  the 
prime  mover  in  the  missionary  enterprise,  and  that 
Christ  is  the  center  and  innermost  working  power  in 
these  transformations  of  men. 

The  Rev.  W.  L.  Ferguson,  of  Madras,  points  out 
the  impossibility  of  accounting  for  the  marked  changes 
in  disposition  and  character  which  are  taking  place  on 
the  mission  field,  apart  from  the  working  of  God 
Himself.  "  I  am  continually  led  to  wonder  at  the  way 
in  which  these  people  become  Christians.  Most  of 
them  are  so  densely  ignorant  that  they  fail  to  follow 
anything  like  abstract  thinking  or  philosophy.    I  have 


THE   SUPERHUMAN  FACTOR  205 

often  been  in  despair  when  I  have  tried  to  reason  out 
a  case  with  them,  and  I  am  certain  that  if  I  were  to 
attempt  to  teach  them  logic  I  should  utterly  fail.  And 
yet  they  grasp  the  Gospel  message — enough  of  it  to 
make  salvation  available.  The  great  essentials  get  a 
grip  on  their  minds  and  hearts.  They  forsake  idolatry 
and  heathen  practices;  they  believe  in  God;  they 
receive  Christ  as  Saviour,  believing  that  He  died  for 
their  sins,  arose  again,  and  that  He  is  now  alive  and 
able  to  save  and  to  sympathize.  This  may  be  the  full 
extent  of  their  apprehension,  but  it  works  marvels  in 
their  lives.  I  have  seen  some  real  saints  among  them, 
men  and  women  consistent  and  spiritual  in  life  and 
mighty  in  prayer.  Such  transformations  tell  greatly  in 
the  communities  where  the  lives  are  lived."  It  does 
not  take  many  cases  of  this  kind  to  create  an  over- 
whelming impression  that  the  Lord  Christ  is  present  in 
this  world  to-day,  as  really  as  He  was  in  the  villages 
of  Galilee. 

Writing  from  Korea,  the  Rev.  J.  E.  Adams  voices  Personal 
the  conviction  expressed  by  scores  of  missionaries  ^°™le?fe 
from  nearly  all  quarters  of  the  world :  "  I  have  expe- 
rienced, tested,  and  proved  the  sufficiency  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  the  work  of  the  conversion  of  men,  so  con- 
stantly and  with  such  invariable  results,  that  any  ques- 
tion on  the  subject  has  long  ceased  to  exist.  It  has 
become  one  of  the  assumed  working  postulates  of  life. 
No  man  living  in  the  conditions  in  which  I  have  lived, 
even  with  the  most  rudimentary  instincts  of  scientific 
observation,  could  arrive  at  any  other  conviction  than 
that  the  Gospel  is  the  power  of  God."    It  is  this  ethical 


of  Christ 


206  DPXISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

and  spiritual  Christianity  which  will  conquer  the  non- 
Christian  nations.  A  truly  spiritual  life,  proved  by  its 
ethical  results  and  triumphant  power  over  temptation, 
can  alone  satisfy  their  deepest  needs.  Such  conversion 
is  not  simply  a  change  in  name,  opinion,  or  belief,  but 
a  new  spiritual  experience,  a  coming  to  know  person- 
ally the  living  Christ. 
Workings  of  The  great  spiritual  awakenings  and  revivals  in  dif- 

the  Holy  ferent  parts  of  the  non-Christian  world  are  the  result 

Spirit  of  the  work  of  the  Spirit  of  God.    The  Rev.  J.  Goforth 

gives  the  following  account  of  one  of  the  typical  spirit- 
ual awakenings  in  China :  "  One  of  the  most  marked 
manifestations  of  power  that  I  have  seen  among  the 
heathen  was  at  a  great  idolatrous  fair  where  seventy- 
six  Chinese  and  Canadian  Christian  workers  were  in 
attendance.  One  night  I  spoke  on  i  Tim.  ii.  1-7,  with 
special  emphasis  on  the  Crucified.  So  many  in  the 
audience  seemed  to  be  moved  that  one  of  the  Chinese 
workers  exclaimed,  '  These  signs  are  like  unto  those 
when  Peter  preached.'  At  another  preaching  hall  on 
the  following  night  I  was  speaking  on  1  Peter  ii.  21-27, 
and  again  laid  special  emphasis  on  the  Crucified,  and 
almost  the  entire  audience  stood  up,  saying,  '  We  will 
follow  this  Saviour.'  Some  of  the  Chinese  workers 
were  amazed  at  the  results.  On  finishing  the  address 
I  left  the  meeting  in  charge  of  another  and  retired  to 
an  inner  room  for  prayer.  It  was  then  that  one  of  the 
workers  remarked,  '  He  for  Whom  we  have  so  often 
prayed  is  among  us  to-night  of  a  certainty,  but  if  we 
would  retain  His  presence  we  must  walk  carefully.' 
Up   to  this   time  we  had  never  heard   such   fervent 


THE   SUPERHUMAN   FACTOR  207 

praying  from  Chinese  lips.  In  connection  with  this 
and  the  other  missions  there  were  always  signs  of 
intense  conviction.  Men  and  women  were  broken 
down,  confessed  their  sins,  made  restitution,  and 
yielded  themselves  to  God.  The  sense  of  God's  pres- 
ence was  overwhelming  and  soon  became  unbearable. 
Others,  Chinese  as  well  as  foreigners,  who  have  passed 
through  scenes  of  judgment,  have  afterwards  carried 
the  fire  to  other  centers  where  the  same  divine  results 
have  followed."  Dr.  W.  M.  Morrison,  a  missionary  in 
the  Belgian  Congo  thus  describes  a  recent  awaken- 
ing in  that  region :  "  The  power  of  the  Spirit  of  God 
was  present  in  a  marvelous  manner.  Confession  was 
made  in  public  of  sins  which  would  be  unmentionable 
at  home ;  fetishes  were  renounced  and  publicly  burned 
or  otherwise  destroyed ;  restitution  was  made  of  stolen 
goods,  gambling  gains,  and  other  riches  received  as 
the  hire  of  sin.  Great  sinners  were  saved ;  backsliders 
were  restored :  and  evangelists  were  sent  forth  to 
preach.  A  few  of  the  converts  have  slipped  back,  but 
many  of  the  fruits  of  the  revival  remain  to  this  day. 
Two  things  are  especially  notable  about  these  awaken- 
ings ;  first,  they  always  come  in  answer  to  earnest, 
believing  prayer,  sometimes  after  long  waiting;  and, 
secondly,  they  come  in  connection  with  the  proclama- 
tion and  teaching  of  the  Word  of  God."  Other  recent 
wonderful  revivals  in  China,  in  Northern  and  Southern 
India,  in  all  parts  of  Korea,  and  the  famous  Taikyo 
Dendo  in  Japan  a  few  years  ago,  not  to  mention  simi- 
lar awakenings  in  other  decades,  are  traced  by  the  mis- 
sionaries to  the  same  divine  source. 


208 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Endurance  of 
Trial   and 
Martyrdom 
in  China 


Persecutions 
in  Moslem 
Lands 


One  of  the  unmistakable  evidences  of  the  work  of 
the  Spirit  of  God  is  to  be  found  in  the  way  in  which 
Christians  endure  trial  and  persecution.  For  example, 
the  most  marked  characteristic  of  the  Chinese  Chris- 
tians is  their  steadfastness,  their  willingness  to  endure 
hardship  and  even  death  for  the  sake  of  Christ.  There 
has  never  been  a  time  in  the  history  of  missions  in 
China  when  the  profession  of  Christianity  did  not 
entail  risk  of  persecution.  Even  before  the  year  1900, 
the  blood  of  martyrs  had  been  frequently  shed  in 
China,  and  in  that  year  several  thousands  of  Chris- 
tians were  slain  in  the  Boxer  uprising  because  they 
would  not  renounce  their  faith.  The  Church  in  Man- 
churia in  particular  has  for  several  years  been  sub- 
jected to  very  severe  trials.  During  the  war  between 
China  and  Japan  it  suffered  much.  During  the  Boxer 
uprising  many  of  the  Manchurian  Christians  were 
slain,  and  many  more  died  of  disease  resulting  from 
exposure  when  endeavoring  to  escape.  Others  suf- 
fered greatly  in  connection  with  the  recent  war 
between  Japan  and  Russia.  These  various  trials,  how- 
ever, served  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  recent  remark- 
able revival  which  has  done  so  much  to  purify  and 
strengthen  the  spirit  of  the  Church. 

The  members  of  the  Eastern  and  Protestant  Chris- 
tian Churches  in  Moslem  lands  have  also  undergone 
terrible,  trials  and  persecutions.  In  1895  and  1896 
twenty-two  Protestant  pastors  and  preachers  in  Arme- 
nia were  slain,  and  in  April,  1909,  twenty-one  Chris- 
tian pastors  in  Cilicia  met  death  at  the  hands  of  the 
cruel  Moslems.    During  these  massacres  thousands  of 


Transformed 


THE  SUPERHUMAN  FACTOR  209 

the  church  members  also  were  killed.  The  more  one 
reads  of  the  fearful  ordeals  of  blood  and  fire  through 
which  the  Christians  of  the  Turkish  Empire  have 
passed,  the  greater  is  the  respect  one  has  for  those 
who  through  it  all  have  held  to  the  name  of  Christ. 

The  transformation  of  communities  as  well  as  of  African 
individuals  is  also  indicative  of  the  work  of  Christ  as  Communities 
God.  The  testimony  of  Bishop  Tucker  as  to  the  com- 
plete change  in  the  social  life  and  practices  of  the  peo- 
ple in  Uganda  under  the  influence  of  the  Gospel  is  a 
good  illustration ;  also,  through  the  work  of  the  Living- 
stonia  Mission,  other  African  tribes  have  been  just  as 
wonderfully  transformed.  The  case  of  the  Wild 
'Ngoni  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable.  Thirty  years 
ago  they  were  a  tribe  of  the  very  fiercest  savages,  and 
one  of  the  most  degraded  of  all.  Cruelty,  murder,  and 
impurity  abounded  among  them.  The  women  were 
downtrodden  and  oppressed.  For  the  very  least 
offence  any  one  might  be  put  to  death.  "  A  woman 
carrying  a  pot  of  beer  would  be  killed  in  broad  day- 
light in  order  to  get  the  beer  and  prevent  detection. 
A  scream  would  be  heard  in  the  evening,  and  on  inquir- 
ing the  cause  one  would  be  told  that  it  was  a  worn-out 
slave  who  had  been  cast  out  for  the  hyenas  to  devour." 
The  tribes  around  lived  in  constant  terror  of  their 
raids,  which  were  always  accompanied  by  the  most 
wanton  bloodshed,  for  the  'Ngoni  did  not  consider 
themselves  men  until  they  had  shed  blood.  In  1882, 
the  first  missionary — a  Kaffir  evangelist — began  to 
work  among  them,  and  very  quickly  a  change  was 
noticed.     In  less  than  ten  years  the  war  spirit  was 


210 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Transcending 

Human 

Explanations 


broken,  and  in  twenty  years  it  was  entirely  gone.  The 
brutal  raids  upon  the  defenceless  tribes  had  ceased, 
and  slave-trading  was  impossible.  To-day  in  many 
places  the  people  gather  night  and  morning  to  worship 
God,  and  there  is  a  large  and  growing  native  Church. 
This  transformation  has  taken  place  without  the  aid 
of  any  secular  force  and  with  the  persistent  savagery 
of  the  land  as  an  opponent.  Nothing  but  the  power  of 
God  could  have  brought  it  to  pass. 

Another  example  is  the  marvelous  uplifting  of  out- 
castes  and  lower  castes  in  Northern  and  Southern  In- 
dia as  a  result  of  the  power  of  the  Gospel.  The  manner 
in  which  these  most  depressed  and  degraded  of  all  the 
peoples  in  India  have  improved  their  social  condition, 
rebuked  and  overcome  the  forces  of  vice,  erected  their 
own  schools  and  churches,  spread  the  Gospel  among 
their  neighbors,  and  suffered  for  Christ's  sake,  while 
leading  quiet,  consistent  Christian  lives,  is  truly  won- 
derful. Dr.  John  Ross,  of  Manchuria,  says  that  while 
"Education  is  good,  and  other  intellectual  and  physical 
aids  as  well,  all  these  combined  and  at  their  very  best 
would  never  have  evolved  the  Church  in  Manchuria 
from  the  mass  of  foreigner-hating  idolaters  who  filled 
the  land."  Another  remarkable  example  of  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Gospel  is  seen  among  the  Miao  tribes  of 
West  China.  Communities  that  less  than  a  decade  ago 
were  ignorant,  degraded,  and  very  immoral  are  now 
Christian.  The  complete  transformation  of  certain 
of  the  Pacific  Islands  constitutes  another  striking 
example.  One  does  not  find  examples  of  such  trans- 
formations of  communities  as  a  result  of  the  teach- 


Sacrifice 


THE   SUPERHUMAN   FACTOR  21 1 

ing  of  the  Baghavad  Gita  or  the  Ramayana  or  of  the 
entrance  of  the  Koran.  It  is  the  working  of  powers 
that  transcend  human  explanations,  accompanying  the 
proclamation  of  the  story  of  Christ  and  His  Cross,  that 
accomplishes  these  wonders. 

Another  evidence  of  God's  power  is  seen  in  the  way  Spirit  of 
in  which  He  fills  the  native  Christian  with  a  passion  Service  and 
for  helping  others,  especially  those  in  deepest  need. 
On  all  the  mission  fields  there  have  been  many  splen- 
did examples  of  new  converts  making  sacrifices  that 
they  might  tell  others  of  the  salvation  which  they  had 
found.  The  manner  in  which  many  hundreds  of  the 
ablest  young  men  of  the  different  non-Christion  nations 
and  races  have  refused  worldly  advancement  and  de- 
voted their  lives,  on  comparatively  insignificant  sal- 
aries, to  the  work  of  evangelizing  their  non-Christian 
countrymen  and  of  carrying  the  good  tidings  of  salva- 
tion into  regions  beyond,  is  a  striking  manifestation 
of  God's  working.  In  fact,  there  is  nothing  more  en- 
couraging anywhere,  and  nothing  which  so  clearly 
proves  the  reality  of  their  Christian  experience.  The 
Bishop  of  Hankow  maintains  that  "  it  is  difficult,  if 
not  impossible,  to  account  for  so  many  Chinese  Chris- 
tian young  men  entering  upon  the  arduous  and  com- 
paratively poorly  paid  work  of  the  ministry  without 
ascribing  it  to  the  direct  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Most  of  them  had  to  suffer  serious  persecution  when 
they  became  Christians,  and  the  older  among  them 
have  shown  by  their  lifelong  devotion  and  steady 
growth  in  Christian  character  the  manifold  fruits  of 
the  Spirit.'*     Bishop  Warne  gives  an  interesting  illus- 


212  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

• 
tration  of  the  same  point  in  writing  of  one  of  the 
Indian  preachers :  "  He  was  in  a  theological  school 
receiving  ten  rupees,  and  his  wife  was  getting  six 
rupees  because  of  her  help  in  teaching  wives  of 
preachers,  making  a  combined  salary  of  sixteen  rupees. 
When  he  graduated  he  was  appointed  to  a  very  diffi- 
cult field  where  he  worked  for  a  salary  of  twelve 
rupees  a  month.  One  day  he  received  an  offer  from 
Government  of  forty  rupees  per  month,  together  with 
a  comfortable  home  in  which  to  live,  in  the  midst  of 
pleasant  surroundings.  It  came  to  him  as  a  great 
temptation,  but  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  night  in 
prayer  and  decided  that,  as  God  had  called  them  to  do 
spiritual  work,  they  must  not  be  tempted  by  money. 
So  they  remained  and  worked  for  several  years,  living 
on  the  twelve  rupees  a  month.  This  worker  has  ad- 
vanced, and  is  now  drawing  a  salary  of  seventy  rupees 
a  month,  while  his  old  classmates,  who  were  not  his 
equals  either  in  intellectual  ability  or  character,  are 
receiving  from  Government  600  rupees  a  month." 
God  in  the  There  are  many  other  evidences  showing  that  every- 

Commonplace  thing  vital  to  the  success  and  spread  of  the  Kingdom 
Experiences  Q£  £hrist  depends  upon  the  divine  factor.  The  work 
of  God  is  not  confined  to  the  extraordinary  events  and 
experiences  of  Christian  missions.  The  presence  of 
God  cannot  be  divorced  from  the  usual,  from  the  ex- 
pected, and  be  associated  only  with  the  so-called  mirac- 
ulous. God's  presence  and  work  are  also  to  be  seen 
in  the  commonplaces  of  missionary  experience  and 
success.  For  those  who  are  genuine  Christians  every 
common  bush  "  is  afire  with  God." 


THE   SUPERHUMAN   FACTOR  213 

If  God's  favor  and  faithfulness  are  so  great,  why  is  Conditions 
it  that  the  success  of  the  missionary  enterprise  is  so  of  God's 
limited?  Is  it  not  because  so  many  Christians  fail  to  Workmg 
fulfill  the  conditions  required  for  the  forth-putting  of 
divine  power?  What  are  these  conditions?  A  mighty, 
almost  irresistible  power  is  conveyed  in  an  ordinary- 
looking  wire  cable  on  two  main  conditions,  proper 
insulation  and  perfect  contact.  If  those  abroad  and  at 
home,  who  are  seeking  to  make  Christ  known  to  all^ 
the  non-Christian  world,  can  be  saved  from  selfish- 
ness, and  at  the  same  time  preserve  their  connection 
with  the  abounding  and  never-failing  Source  of  super- 
human power,  they  will  accomplish  what  He  surely 
wills — the  making  of  Christ  known  to  all  people. 
Granted  a  sufficient  number  of  workers  with  lives 
dominated  by  Christ,  we  may  expect  that  He  will  put 
forth  mightily  His  living  power.  Unless  they  sur- 
render themselves  to  Christ  and  are  controlled  by  His 
Spirit,  unless  they  work  in  His  power,  they  had  better 
turn  from  this  service;  for  unyielding  lives  and  un- 
spiritual  work  will  only  be  a  hindrance  to  the  enter- 
prise. 

It  is  the  Holy  Spirit  who  communicates  to  Chris-  Seeking  the 
tians  the  spirit  of  witness-bearing  and  evangelization.  Spirit's  Power 
Wherever  His  presence  and  power  have  been  most 
largely  manifested,  the  limits  of  the  Kingdom  are  being 
extended  through  the  personal  testimony  and  preach- 
ing of  Christian  disciples.  Not  only  the  clergy  but 
likewise  the  laity  feel  the  burden  of  responsibility  for 
making  Christ  known  among  their  countrymen.  They 
seek  to  evangelize  the  outlying  and  distant  regions  as 


214  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

well  as  their  home  communities.  Every  mission  field 
abounds  with  illustrations  of  such  activity.  A  young 
Chinese,  who  was  converted  when  working  in  the 
Malay  Peninsula,  went  to  China  to  study  medicine, 
and  later  returned  to  West  Borneo,  where  as  an  itin- 
erant vendor  of  Chinese  medicines,  he  traveled  far  and 
wide.  Wherever  he  went  he  proclaimed  the  Gospel 
with  such  power  that  when,  at  his  request,  a  missionary 
was  sent  from  Singapore  to  examine  his  work,  between 
three  and  four  hundred  Chinese  converts  were  found 
receiving  instruction.  All  these  were  the  direct  pro- 
duct of  his  faithful  witness  in  the  midst  of  great  op- 
position and  persecution.  The  Christians  of  Korea 
and  Manchuria  are  in  their  evangelistic  zeal  an  example 
to  the  members  of  the  Church  in  Christian  as  well  as 
in  other  lands.  The  Rev.  J.  Goforth  bears  testimony 
that  the  results  of  the  different  evangelistic  missions 
were  just  in  proportion  to  the  extent  the  missionaries 
and  Chinese  Christian  leaders  yielded  themselves  to 
God  and  sought  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  He 
expresses  the  conviction  that  "  if  the  Church  of  Christ 
will  humble  itself  under  the  hand  of  God,  the  Holy 
Spirit  will  confirm  the  preaching  of  the  Word  with 
unmistakable  signs  of  His  presence  and  power.  .  .  . 
I  have  the  strongest  of  convictions  that  it  would  pay 
many,  many  fold  for  the  Church  at  home  and  abroad 
to  cease  for  a  season  its  busy  round  of  activities  and 
seek  for  the  Holy  Spirit's  power  as  for  hidden  treas- 
ure. Then,  as  a  missionary  in  Korea  said,  after  the 
power  of  the  Spirit  came  upon  the  workers  at  Phyeng- 
yang.    '  He  did  more  in  half  a  day  than  all  we  would 


THE   SUPERHUMAN   FACTOR 


215 


have  done  in  half  a  year,'  or  as  our  preachers  and 
others  in  Chan-te-fu  exclaimed,  after  the  Holy  Spirit 
had  swept  through  the  assembly  there  for  ten  days 
with  the  fires  of  judgment,  '  God  has  done  exceeding- 
ly abundantly  above  all  that  we  asked  or  thought.  In 
ten  days  He  has  done  more  than  we  could  have  done 
in  ten  years.'  If  we  would  evangelize  the  world  in 
our  day  we  must  get  back  to  the  Pentecostal  Factor." 

The  superhuman  must  be  emphasized  as  never  be-  Much  Fruit 
fore  since  the  days  of  the  early  Church.  Christians  through 
need  a  fuller,  more  constant,  and  more  commanding  .  *  *n.g 
realization  of  the  personal  presence  of  Christ.  Con- 
ferences have  been  held,  not  infrequently,  both  on  the 
home  field  and  on  the  mission  fields,  at  which  the 
problems,  methods,  and  opportunities  of  the  work  of 
world  evangelization  have  received  careful  consid- 
eration, but  there  has  been  alarming  neglect  to 
face  the  great  central  problem,  namely,  how  to  trans- 
late into  actual  experience  the  word  of  Christ,  "  He 
that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same  beareth 
much  fruit:  for  apart  from  me  ye  can  do  nothing." 
Wherever  even  small  groups  of  Christians  have  faced 
this  question,  and  have  been  responsive  to  the  truth 
as  God  has  revealed  it  to  them,  they  have  received  new 
accessions  of  His  power,  and  have  then  gone  forth  to 
achieve  triumphs  in  His  name.  The  new  visions,  the 
new  plans,  the  new  movements,  the  new  power,  will 
undoubtedly  follow  when  Christ  is  given  His  rightful 
place  in  His  united  Church. 

Prayer  is  the  method  which  relates  the  irresistible   The  Channel 
might  of  God  to  the  missionary  enterprise.     Accord-    of  Intercession 


2i6  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

ing  to  the  teaching  of  Christ  and  the  experience  of  the 
Church,  both  in  the  early  centuries  and  in  recent  times, 
the  greatest  manifestation  of  divine  power  is  in  the 
pathway  of  the  intercession  of  His  true  followers. 
Every  marked  advance  in  the  missionary  enterprise  has 
been  preceded  by  prayer.  Every  fresh  accession  of 
power  which  has  come  upon  the  workers  has  been 
associated  with  prayer  for  the  Kingdom.  Every  visita- 
tion of  the  Spirit  of  God  resulting  in  spiritual  awaken- 
ings in  the  home  Church  and  on  the  mission  fields,  has 
been  in  itself  a  convincing  evidence  of  the  reality  of 
prayer.  Behind  the  wonderful  spiritual  awakenings 
in  the  Telugu  country  and  also  in  the  Tinnevelly  Dis- 
trict were  scores  of  earnest  Christian  men  and  women 
devoting  themselves  from  day  to  day  to  earnest  inter- 
cession. 
Crises  Met  Every  grave  crisis  in  the  expansion  of  Christianity 

by  Prayer  which  has  been  successfully  met,  has  been  met  by  the 

faithfulness  of  Christ's  disciples  in  the  secret  place. 
That  there  is  a  necessary  connection  between  the 
prayers  of  Christians  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  reveal- 
ing of  Christ's  plan,  the  raising  up  of  workers,  and  the 
releasing  of  the  great  spiritual  forces  of  the  Kingdom, 
on  the  other  hand,  is  a  fact  as  clearly  established 
as  any  fact  can  be  established.  That  God  has  con- 
ditioned so  largely  the  extension,  the  progress,  and 
the  fruitfulness  of  His  Kingdom  upon  the  faithfulness 
and  loyalty  of  His  children  in  prayer,  is  at  the  same 
time  one  of  the  deepest  mysteries  and  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  realities. 
One  Aim  The  Church  has  not  yet  discovered,  still  less  begun 


THE   SUPERHUMAN  FACTOR  217 

to  realize,  the  limitless  possibilities  of  intercession. 
How  to  multiply  the  number  of  Christians  who,  with 
truthful  lives,  and  with  clear,  unshakable  faith  in  the 
character  and  ability  of  God,  will,  individually  and 
collectively  or  corporately  as  a  Church,  wield  this  force 
for  the  conversion  and  transformation  of  men,  for  the 
inauguration  and  energizing  of  spiritual  movements, 
and  for  the  breaking  down  of  all  that  exalts  itself 
against  Christ  and  His  purposes — that  is  the  supreme 
question  of  foreign  missions.  From  first  to  last  this 
task,  the  making  of  Christ  known  to  all  men,  is  a 
superhuman  work.  Every  other  consideration  and 
plan  and  emphasis  is  secondary  to  that  of  wielding  the 
forces  of  prayer.  May  the  Christians  throughout  the 
world  give  themselves  as  never  before  to  intercession, 
for  this  alone  will  bring  to  bear  upon  the  sublime  work 
of  carrying  the  Gospel  to  all  the  non-Christian  world 
the  all-sufficient  forces  of  the  Ever-living  One,  to 
whom  all  power  is  given  in  heaven  and  on  earth — the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


POSSIBILITIES    OF 
THE    PRESENT    SITUATION 


CHAPTER   VIII 

POSSIBILITIES    OF   THE    PRESENT    SITUATION 

It  is  apparent  that  the  situation  in  the  non-Christian   Success 
world  is  of  such  an  urgent  and  critical  character  as  to  though  God 
demand  far  greater  consecration  and  effort  on  the  part  Possl   e 
of  the  Christian  Church.     It  is  also  clear,  that  the 
Church,  with  the  assured  manifestation  of  the  power 
of  God,  can,  by  adequate  planning,  by  the  creation  of 
a  strong  home  base,  and  by  the  development  of  efficient 
forces  on  the  mission  field,  meet  the  present  unique  sit- 
uation.   The  possibilities  of  triumphant  success  result- 
ing from  a  truly  worthy  advance  by  the  Church,  and 
the  possibilities  of  grave  consequences  which  would 
result  from  a  failure  to  improve  the  wonderful  oppor- 
tunity, are  such  as  to  demand  the  most  serious  con- 
sideration. 

In  the  first  place,  there  is  the  possibility  of  carrying   The  World 
the  Gospel  to  all  the  non-Christian  world.     It  is  pos-   Open  and 
sible  so  far  as  the  accessibility  and  open-mindedness   AccesslDle 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  non-Christian  world  are  con- 
cerned.    The  non-Christian  world  is  known  to-day  as 
it  never  has  been  before.     The  work  of  exploration 
has  been  comprehensive,  thorough,  and,  so  far  as  the 
inhabited  parts  of  the  world  are  concerned,  is  practi- 
cally completed.     The  whole  world  is  remarkably  ac- 


222  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

cessible.  Improved  means  of  communication  have 
within  the  past  two  decades  been  spread  like  a  network 
over  nearly  all  the  great  spaces  of  the  unevangelized 
world,  or  are  to-day  being  projected  over  these  regions. 
For  example,  railway  lines  are  being  rapidly  extended 
in  different  sections  of  Africa,  in  the  Levant,  in  Cen- 
tral Asia,  in  the  Chinese  Empire,  and  in  the  more  pop- 
ulous parts  of  the  East  Indies,  giving  missionaries 
easy  access  to  hundreds  of  millions  of  people  who 
could  not  have  been  readily  reached  even  one  genera- 
tion ago.*  One  of  the  most  significant  and  hope- 
ful facts  with  reference  to  world  evangelization  is 
that  the  vast  majority  of  the  people  of  the  non- 
Christian  nations  and  races  are  under  the  sway,  either 
of  Christian  governments  or  of  those  not  antagonistic 
to  Christian  missions.  This  should  greatly  facilitate 
the  carrying  out  of  a  comprehensive  campaign  to  make 
Christ  known. 
Responsive-  The  minds  of  the  people  in  most  countries  are  more 

ness  in  Japan  0pen  ancj  favorable  to  the  wise  and  friendly  approach 
of  the  Christian  missionaries  than  at  any  time  in  the 
past.  In  Japan,  including  Formosa  and  the  Lu-chu 
Islands,  there  is  almost  everywhere  a  readiness  to  hear 
and  to  consider  the  Gospel  message.  The  war  with 
Russia  opened  many  doors  and  made  the  people  much 
more  responsive  to  the  teaching  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion. The  leaders  of  the  nation  and  other  thoughtful 
men  of  Japan  are  feeling  the  need  of  a  new  moral 
basis,  and  many  of  them  are  looking  to  Christianity  to 
furnish  it.  Within  a  half  generation  ex-territoriality 
*  See  map  at  the  end  of  this  volume. 


POSSIBILITIES   OF  THE   SITUATION  223 

has  been  done  away  with  in  Japan  as  a  result  of  the 
revision  of  her  treaties  with  Western  nations,  thus 
permitting  missionaries  to  travel,  work,  and  reside  in 
any  part  of  the  country. 

Almost  the  whole  population  of  Korea  is  now  ready  Korea  Ready 
to  listen  to  the  Gospel.  The  troubles  through  which  to  Listen 
these  people  are  passing  are  causing  them  to  turn  in 
great  numbers  to  Christianity  for  comfort  and 
strength.  Contact  with  the  outside  world  and  the 
progress  of  education,  as  well  as  the  teaching  of  the 
missionaries,  have  swept  away  many  deep-seated 
superstitions.  The  authorities  are  conciliatory,  and  in 
some  cases  directly  helpful,  to  the  Christian  movement. 

It  is  said  that  in  no  part  of  Manchuria  is  there  open  Chinese 
hostility  to  the  Gospel.  On  the  contrary  there  seems  Indifference 
to  be  marked  readiness  and  willingness  to  hear  and  Gmn2  Wa? 
to  understand  the  Christian  doctrine.  Even  in  Mon- 
golia the  people  are  more  open  and  responsive  to  the 
Gospel  appeal  than  they  were  a  decade  ago.  In  nearly 
every  part  of  China  there  are  signs  that  the  stolid 
indifference  and  the  proud  aloofness  of  the  past  are 
giving  way.  Notwithstanding  the  opposition  mani- 
fested by  some  of  the  officials  and  other  influential 
men,  there  is  among  the  people  in  general  a  large 
measure  of  open-mindedness  to  what  the  teachers  from 
the  West  may  have  to  offer.  The  native  mind  seems 
to  be  clearer  as  to  the  aims  and  motives  of  the  mission- 
ary. This  does  not  necessarily  imply  that  there  is  a 
higher  valuation  put  upon  Christianity,  but  it  does 
mean  that  there  is  certainly  less  hostility  manifested 
toward  its  representatives.    This  is  due  chiefly  to  the 


224 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Friendliness 
cf  Siam  and 
Ceylon 


General 
Increase  of 
Receptivity 
in  India 


removal  of  ignorance,  prejudice,  and  superstition  by 
the  dissemination  of  knowledge,  and  to  the  influence 
of  the  lives  and  teaching  of  the  missionaries.  A  mis- 
sionary, writing  from  a  province  of  China  which  until 
recently  was  one  of  the  most  exclusive,  says  that  he 
could  not  ask  for  greater  friendliness  than  that  with 
which  he  now  finds  among  all  classes  of  the  people. 
He  expresses  the  opinion  that  in  no  land  is  there 
greater  liberty  for  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel.  One 
missionary,  writing  from  one  of  the  westernmost 
provinces  of  the  country,  says  that,  in  visiting  224 
walled  cities  where  he  used  to  encounter  opposition, 
he  now  finds  none. 

A  missionary  secretary  w,ho  recently  visited  all  the 
principal  mission  fields  of  Asia  has  stated  that  in  no 
other  country  of  Asia  except  Korea  are  missionaries 
regarded  with  greater  friendliness  by  the  people  of  all 
ranks  than  in  Siam.  Throughout  the  island  of  Ceylon 
the  wise  missionary  can  to-day  without  serious  diffi- 
culty obtain  respectful  audiences  of  non-Christian  men 
for  the  presentation  of  the  Gospel. 

Owing  to  the  great  complexity  of  the  situation  on 
the  Indian  continent  it  is  difficult  to  express  concisely 
the  situation  throughout  the  whole  field.  By  common 
consent  the  masses  of  outcastes  and  lower  castes  are 
more  receptive  to-day  than  ever.  There  is  scarcely  a 
limit  to  the  numbers  who  would  place  themselves 
under  instruction  of  properly  qualified  Christian 
teachers.  Many  untutored  non-Aryan  tribes  are 
awakening  to  the  call  of  Western  civilization  and  are 
beginning  to  listen  responsively  to  the  Gospel  message. 


POSSIBILITIES  OF  THE  SITUATION  225 

It  is  said  that  the  women  of  India  of  various  castes 
are  coming  to  have  a  realizing  sense  of  their  needs, 
and  are  seeking  for  education  and  light.  The  zenanas 
are  open  to  a  degree  which  could  not  have  been  fore- 
seen a  few  years  ago.  Here  and  there  thoughtful, 
earnest,  spiritually-minded  Hindus  are  reading  the 
words  of  Christ  and  seeking  to  understand  Him.  If 
Christian  intercourse  with  these  important  men  could 
now  be  multiplied,  large  numbers  of  them  would  be 
led  into  full  and  open  discipleship. 

Workers  among  Moslems  in  India  all  testify  that   Better  Atti- 
their  attitude  toward  Christ  and  His  people  is  more   tude  of  Mos- 
friendly  and  favorable  than  it  was  in  the  last  genera-   lems'  Parsees» 
tion.  The  Parsees,  owing  to  the  increase  of  education 
and  the  friendly  work  of  missionaries,  are  more  acces- 
sible and  responsive  than  they  were  a  few  years  ago. 
The  situation  in  the  various  native  states  throughout 
the  Indian  peninsula,  as  well  as  in  the  states  along  the 
northern  border,  has  improved  upon  what  it  was  in 
the  last  generation.     Notwithstanding  the  many  ad- 
verse influences  and  the  more  pronounced  hostility 
and  opposition  in  certain  quarters,  it  is  undoubtedly 
true  that,  taking  India  as  a  whole,  the  field  is  more 
open  than  it  was  twenty,  or  even  ten  years  ago. 

The  situation  with  reference  to  the  spread  of  the   Brighter 
Gospel  in  Arabia  calls  for  a  strong  faith  and  a  zeal    Outlook  in 
that  knows  no  discouragement,  but  the  outlook  is  hope-   Turklsa 
f  ul,  and  is  growing  more  so  year  by  year  as  a  result  of 
political  developments  and  of  the  new  railway.    Mos- 
lems in  the  Russian  Empire  are  approachable.    Great 
external  changes  have  taken  place  in  the  Turkish  Em- 


226  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

pire  during  the  past  two  years.  Even  if  attention  is 
confined  exclusively  to  the  Moslem  population,  there  is 
satisfactory  evidence  that  work  on  their  behalf,  if 
wisely  and  prudently  conducted,  is  now  possible  to  a 
degree  which  would  have  been  incredible  two  years 
ago.  Many  restrictions  have  been  removed  with  refer- 
ence to  travel,  the  holding  of  meetings,  the  printing  and 
circulation  of  literature,  and  the  conduct  of  schools. 
Moslems  and  non-Moslems  have  been  placed  upon  an 
equal  footing  before  the  law  and  in  the  rights  of  citi- 
zenship. This  fact  alone  inaugurates  a  new  era. 
Mohammedans  in  these  lands  have  never  had  an  op- 
portunity to  understand  and  accept  pure  Christianity. 
Missionaries  in  different  parts  of  Turkey  report  a  will- 
ingness on  the  part  of  many  Mohammedans  to  attend 
Christian  gatherings,  to  talk  about  Christianity,  and  to 
study  it  in  its  simplicity  and  purity.  The  same  thing 
can  be  said  of  the  Moslems  of  Persia.  Much  is  possi- 
ble there  now,  provided  the  work  is  developed  grad- 
ually and  in  a  friendly  and  conciliatory  spirit,  especially 
by  means  of  medical  and  educational  missions  con- 
ducted by  wise,  spiritual  workers. 
Openness  of  Throughout  the  larger  part  of  the  vast  African  con- 

tinent there  is  a  great  and  pressing  opportunity  for 
the  presentation  of  the  claims  of  Christ.  In  Moham- 
medan Africa  indeed  there  is  considerable  hindrance 
from  government  opposition  or  restrictions.  Moslem 
intolerance  has  still  to  be  reckoned  with  among  the 
people,  but  this  intolerance  is  weakening,  and,  as  the 
missionaries  wisely  adapt  themselves  to  the  conditions, 
the  way  is  becoming  more  and  more  open.     In  pagan 


Africa  and  the 
Island  World 


POSSIBILITIES   OF  THE   SITUATION 


227 


Africa  not  only  is  the  way  open,  but  those  to  whom 
the  way  leads  are  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  messen- 
gers. We  have  been  unable  to  learn  of  any  extensive 
field  throughout  the  great  Island  World  which  is  abso- 
lutely closed  to  the  wise  and  devoted  ambassador  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

There  are  multiplied  evidences  of  larger  access  and 
freedom  for  the  proclamation  of  the  Gospel  to  classes 
of  people  in  Russia  and  in  many  parts  of  Latin  Europe 
and  Latin  America  who  hitherto  have  been  without 
faith  in  the  living  Christ. 

When  has  the  Christian  Church  been  confronted 
with  such  a  wide  opportunity  as  the  one  now  before 
her  in  the  non-Christian  world  as  a  whole  ?  As  always, 
opportunity  spells  responsibility,  and  this  unparalleled 
openness  comes  to  the  Church  as  a  great  test  and  trial 
of  the  reality  and  the  living  strength  of  its  faith,  and 
of  its  capacity  for  comprehensive  Christian  statesman- 
ship and  generalship. 

It  is  possible  to-day  as  never  before  to  have  a  cam- 
paign adequate  to  carry  the  Gospel  to  all  the  non- 
Christian  world,  so  far  as  the  Christian  Church  is  con- 
cerned. Its  resources  are  more  than  adequate.  There 
are  tens  of  millions  of  communicant  members.  The 
money  power  in  the  hands  of  believing  Christians  of 
our  generation  is  enormous.  There  are  many  strong 
missionary  societies  in  America,  Europe,  Australasia, 
and  South  Africa,  and  these  have  accumulated  a  vast 
fund  of  experience,  and  have  developed  a  great  variety 
of  helpful  methods  and  facilities  through  several  gen- 
erations  of   activity   throughout   the   world.      Surely 


Gospel  in 
Europe  and 
Latin 
America 


Opportunity 
Spells  Re- 
sponsibility 


Abundant 
Resources 
of  the  Church 


228 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Movements 
Recently 
Called  into 
Being 


they  possess  directive  energy  amply  sufficient  to  con- 
ceive, plan,  and  execute  a  campaign  literally  world- 
wide in  its  scope.  The  extent,  character,  and  promise 
of  the  native  Christian  Church  make  it  by  no  means 
an  inefficient  part  of  the  Body  of  Christ. 

The  abounding  energy  and  tremendous  possibilities 
of  the  inspiring  movements  recently  called  into  being 
will  facilitate  the  realization  of  the  aims  of  the  mis- 
sionary propaganda :  for  example,  the  Student  Volun- 
teer Movement;  the  more  comprehensive  World's 
Student  Christian  Federation;  the  Young  People's 
Missionary  Movement ;  the  Laymen's  Missionary 
Movement ;  the  efficient  women's  missionary  socie- 
ties ;  the  Foreign  Departments  of  the  Young  Men's 
and  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations ;  the  va- 
rious Forward  Movements  within  different  Christian 
communions ;  the  army  of  youth  in  the  Sunday 
schools,  and  various  young  people's  societies  and 
guilds.  The  Holy  Spirit  has  certainly  been  preparing 
and  marshaling  forces  for  a  campaign  commensurate 
with  the  missionary  responsibility  of  the  Church. 
Above  all  there  are  the  superhuman  resources:  the 
dynamic  power  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ;  the  unreal- 
ized possibilities  of  intercession ;  the  triumphant  pow- 
er of  holy  lives — lives  unreservedly  yielded  to  the 
sway  of  the  risen  Christ;  and  the  presence  of  Christ 
Himself  in  His  Church  by  His  Spirit,  the  One  Who  is 
able  to  subdue  all  things  unto  Himself.  Thus,  as  fol- 
lowers of  Christ  look  outward  over  the  great  areas  of 
the  non-Christian  world,  and  then  turn  to  survey  the 
resources  of  Christendom  and  to  gaze  by  faith  upon 


POSSIBILITIES   OF  THE   SITUATION  229 

their  superhuman  resources,  can  they  question  the 
possibility  to-day  of  making  Christ  known  to  all 
people  ? 

There  is  also  the  possibility  of  entering  now  into  the  Heritage 
heritage  of  the  long  period  of  preparation.  Where  of  Long 
there  have  been  great  causes  at  work  we  may  expect  "epa***1011 
in  due  time  to  witness  great  results.  There  is  no  body 
of  workers  in  connection  with  any  human  enterprise 
who  have  devoted  themselves  to  their  task  with  greater 
intensity,  thoroughness,  and  self-denial  than  those 
have  shown  who  have  been  engaged  during  the  past 
one  hundred  years  in  seeking  to  carry  the  Gospel  to 
the  non-Christian  world.  While  their  numbers  have 
been  proportionately  small  their  ability  has  been  of  a 
high  order,  and  their  wisdom  has  been  remarkable. 
This  comment  applies  to  a  large  section  of  both  the 
foreign  and  native  workers.  There  is  one  fact  to 
which  far  too  little  importance  is  attached.  Even  those 
missionary  efforts  which  have  seemed  to  yield  compar- 
atively small  results  have  not  been  in  vain.  While 
there  may  not  have  been  many  positive  results  to 
show  from  such  efforts,  yet  time  will  prove  that  they 
have  been  helpful  in  spreading  the  Gospel.  They  have 
helped  to  undermine  the  strength  of  heathendom.  In 
sections  of  the  Mohammedan  and  Hindu  communities 
of  India,  the  work  of  the  past  one  hundred  years  has 
been  largely  that  of  disintegration,  and  to-day  we  see 
the  beginning  of  the  final  break-up  of  these  gigantic 
systems.  Were  the  Christian  Church  now  to  advance 
in  the  power  of  Christ,  results  could  be  achieved  far 
surpassing  anything  accomplished  in  the  past. 


Preparatory 
Work  Done 


Preliminaries 
to  a  Great 
Advance 


230 
As  Dr 


DECISIVE  HOUR   OF  MISSIONS 


Fulton  pointed  out  at  the  Centenary  Mis- 
sionary Conference  in  China,  the  work  of  foreign 
missions  has  not  been  unlike  that  of  the  work  of  re- 
clamation carried  on  in  recent  years  by  the  United 
States  Government  for  the  purpose  of  making  pro- 
ductive great  tracts  of  desert  land.  The  problem  has 
been  that  of  assuring  to  those  areas  streams  of  water 
that  will  bring  fertility  and  fruitfulness — water  in 
steady  or  regular  streams,  and  not  in  uncertain  quan- 
tities or  at  unknown  times.  So  the  work  of  the  mis- 
sionary enterprise  hitherto  has  been  largely  that  of 
tunneling  mountains  and  constructing  reservoirs  and 
canals  so  as  to  be  able  to  convey  the  water  in  adequate 
measure  and  continuity  to  the  great  multitudes  in  the 
waste  and  desert  places  of  the  non-Christian  world. 
But  this  all-important  preparatory  work  has  now 
reached  a  stage  where  the  life-giving  streams  should 
be  released  in  far  greater  measure. 

While  the  missionaries  on  every  field  have  tried 
more  or  less  to  secure  immediate  results,  their  prin- 
cipal tasks,  whether  they  recognized  it  or  not,  have 
been  concerned  with  the  preliminaries  of  a  really  ade- 
quate advance.  Their  work  has  been  largely  that  of 
scouting  and  exploring,  of  organizing  and  training  the 
arms  of  the  service,  of  forging  the  weapons,  of  evolv- 
ing the  tactics  and  strategy  of  the  campaign,  of  sap- 
ping and  mining,  of  experimenting.  This  necessarily 
prolonged  labor  is  now  in  many  fields  complete,  and 
as  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Findlay,  formerly  of  South  India, 
has  pointed  out,  "The  effective  advance,  with  victories 
eclipsing  almost  all  those  of  the  past,  may  be  con- 


POSSIBILITIES   OF   THE   SITUATION  23 1 

fidently  expected,  if  the  Church  sends  the  army." 
For  these  preliminary  stages  the  forces  thus  far  em- 
ployed have  not  been  altogether  inadequate.  But  for 
the  work  now  at  hand  greater  numerical  strength,  as 
well  as  far  greater  spiritual  power,  is  required. 

Three  great  laws  of  God,  absolutely  certain  in  their  Law  of  Sowing 
working,  have  long  been  in  operation  throughout  the  an<^  Reapiag 
mission  fields ;  and  in  the  light  of  Church  history  it  is 
reasonable  to  expect  that  they  have  made  possible 
enormous  results.  The  one  thing  necessary  is  for  the 
Christian  Church  at  the  present  time  to  enter  into  the 
heritage  so  fully  prepared  by  the  working  of  these 
unchanging  laws.  One  of  these  is  the  law  of  sowing 
and  reaping.  It  has  been  the  unvarying  rule  of  the 
Kingdom  that  where  there  has  been  proper  sowing,  in 
due  time  an  abundant  harvest  may  be  reaped.  Seed 
sowing  has  been  going  on  in  nearly  all  of  the  mission 
fields  for  a  generation,  and  in  many  of  them  for  two 
or  three  generations.  The  seed  sown  has  been  good 
seed — seed  with  most  highly  multiplying  vitality.  The 
sowers  have  been  wise,  assiduous,  and  faithful.  The 
processes  of  watering  and  nurturing  have  been,  gen- 
erally speaking,  efficient.  The  Lord  of  the  Harvest 
has  never  been  found  wanting  in  bringing  forth  in- 
crease. The  great  thing  needed  is  capable  reapers, 
abounding  in  faith  and  sufficient  in  number.  Granted 
such,  we  shall  witness  large  harvests.  Even  in  the 
most  difficult  fields  of  the  Mohammedan  and  Hindu 
world  we  shall  see  the  coming  out  into  open  confession 
of  a  great  company  of  the  now  secret  disciples  of  our 
Lord.     A  study  of  the  great  harvests  in  connection 


232 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


Law  of 
Intercession 


Law  of 
Sacrifice 


with  the  progress  of  Christianity  suggests  no  convinc- 
ing reason  why  in  many  other  parts  of  the  non-Chris- 
tian world,  there  should  not  be  triumphs  and  ingather- 
ings like  those  of  recent  years  in  Korea,  Manchuria, 
Northern  India,  and  the  East  Indies. 

Another  one  of  God's  laws,  equally  certain  in  its 
operation,  is  the  law  of  intercession.  On  the  authority  of 
Christ,  which  is  fully  supported  in  the  experience  of  His 
followers,  intercession  has  limitless  achieving  power. 
There  is  possibly  no  section  of  the  Christian  Church 
which  has  devoted  itself  more  fully  to  real  prayer  than 
the  leaders  of  the  Christian  propaganda  in  the  non- 
Christian  world ;  and  the  vital  Christians  on  the  home 
field  have  probably  remembered  no  other  cause  in 
their  prayers  with  greater  faithfulness  than  the  move- 
ment for  the  extension  of  the  limits  of  Christ's  King- 
dom among  the  peoples  who  have  not  known  Him. 
But  of  what  use  is  this  great  and  growing  volume  of 
intercession  unless  the  Church  goes  forth  in  force  to 
enter  its  rightful  possessions  ?  Wherever  it  has  done 
so  with  confident  apostolic  spirit  it  has  invariably  been 
rewarded  with  abounding  success. 

The  law  of  sacrifice,  like  the  other  two  laws  which 
have  been  named,  brings  into  operation  a  force  ade- 
quate to  the  achievement  of  vast  spiritual  results. 
Christ  enunciated  the  deepest  principle  underlying  the 
spread  of  His  Kingdom  in  this  language :  "  Except  a 
grain  of  wheat  fall  into  the  earth  and  die,  it  abideth 
by  itself  alone;  but  if  it  die  it  beareth  much  fruit." 
On  this  ground  may  not  a  wonderful  increase  be  ex- 
pected in  our  day?     A  large  number  of  missionaries 


POSSIBILITIES  OF  THE  SITUATION  233 

and  native  leaders  even  within  the  past  two  decades, 
have  laid  down  their  lives  for  the  sake  of  the  Kingdom. 
The  whole  life  and  career  of  the  missionary  is  one  of 
self-denial,  in  which  the  members  of  his  family  also 
participate.  There  has  also  been  a  large  volume  of 
sacrifice  for  the  missionary  cause  on  the  part  of  many 
Christians  on  the  home  field.  But  the  sacrifices  of 
Christ's  followers  at  home  and  abroad  will  have  been 
comparatively  fruitless  unless  the  members  of  the 
Church,  in  full  recognition  of  the  wonderful  possibil- 
ities of  the  working  of  this  law,  seek  both  to  harvest 
the  fruits  of  the  sacrifices  already  made  and  to  asso- 
ciate themselves  more  fully  with  Christ  in  the  life  of 
self-sacrifice. 

There  is  the  possibility  of  grave  consequences  to  the   Grave 
Church  in  Christian  lands  resulting  from  its  failure  to   Consequences 
perform  its  missionary  duty.    If  the  Church  does  not  eay' 

rise  to  the  present  situation  and  meet  the  present  op- 
portunity there  will  result  a  hardening  of  the  minds 
and  hearts  of  its  members  which  will  make  them  un- 
responsive to  God.  If  the  situation  now  confronting 
the  Church  throughout  the  world  does  not  lead  men  to 
larger  consecration,  and  to  prompt  and  aggressive 
effort,  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  what  more  God  can  do 
to  move  the  Church  to  perform  its  missionary  duty 
unless  it  be  to  bring  upon  it  some  great  calamity. 

To  know  the  awful  need  of  the  non-Christian  world,   Communica- 
to  have  available  a  Gospel  abundantly  sufficient  to  meet   ti°n  or 
that  need,  to  be  fully  able  to  carry  that  Gospel  to  those   S^^1^011 
who  are  in  need  of  it,  and  not  to  do  so,  will  inevitably 
result  in  unreality  and  hypocrisy  throughout  the  home 


234  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

Church.  It  is  an  inexorable  law  of  Christianity  that 
no  Christian  can  keep  spiritual  life  and  blessing  to 
himself,  but  must  communicate  to  those  in  greatest 
need.  Not  to  do  so  damages  the  character  of  the 
Christian  himself,  promotes  like  hypocrisy  among 
other  Christians  who  are  influenced  by  him,  leads  un- 
believers around  to  lose  confidence  in  the  reality  of 
Christianity,  and  leaves  in  outer  darkness  multitudes 
of  souls  in  non-Christian  lands,  who,  were  it  not  for 
such  sham  profession,  would  be  ushered  into  the  mar- 
velous light  and  liberty  of  Christ.  Without  doubt  the 
present  halting  and  seeming  inaction  of  the  Church  is 
bringing  discredit  on  the  name  and  power  of  Chris- 
tianity. 
Remedy  for  The  only  thing  which  will  save  the  Church  from  the 

the  Peril  of  imminent  perils  of  growing  luxury  and  materialism  is 
Prosperity  ^  p^ing  forth  of  all  its  powers  on  behalf  of  the 
world  without  Christ.  Times  of  material  prosperity 
have  ever  been  the  times  of  greatest  danger  to  Chris- 
tianity. The  Church  needs  a  supreme  world-purpose 
— a  gigantic  task,  something  which  will  call  out  its 
energies,  something  which  will  throw  it  back  upon 
God.  This  desideratum  is  afforded  by  the  present 
world-wide  missionary  opportunity  and  responsibility. 
To  be  able  to  lay  hold  in  particular  of  the  lives  of  the 
strongest  young  men  and  young  women,  the  Church 
must  offer  them  a  task  of  such  magnitude  as  will  call 
forth  their  heroism.  May  it  not  be  that  God  designs  that 
the  baffling  problem  which  confronts  Christianity  in  the 
non-Christian  world  shall  constitute  the  school  for 
disciplining  the  faith  and  strengthening  the  character 


POSSIBILITIES  OF  THE   SITUATION  235 

of  His  followers?  To  preserve  the  pure  faith  of 
Christianity,  a  world-wide  plan  and  conquest  are 
necessary.  This  lesson  is  convincingly  taught  on  the 
pages  of  Church  history.  The  concern  of  Christians 
to-day  should  not  be  lest  non-Christian  people  refuse 
to  receive  Christ,  but  lest  they,  in  failing  to  communi- 
cate Him,  will  themselves  lose  Him. 

Above  all  there  is  the  possibility  of  the  enrichment  Enrichment 
of  the  Church.  The  movement  to  carry  forward  an  of  ^e  Church 
enterprise  to  make  Christ  known  to  all  mankind  will 
inevitably  widen  the  horizon  and  sympathies  of  the 
Church.  It  will  be  impossible  to  plan  and  wage  a 
world-wide  campaign  without  being  enlarged  by  the 
enterprise  itself.  The  life  of  the  Church  depends  upon 
its  being  missionary.  Revivals  of  missionary  devotion 
and  of  spiritual  life  have  ever  gone  hand  in  hand.  The 
missionary  activities  of  the  Church  are  the  circulation 
of  its  blood,  which  would  lose  its  vital  power  if  it 
never  flowed  to  the  extremities.  The  missionary  prob- 
lem of  the  Church  to-day  is  not  primarily  a  financial 
problem,  but  is  that  of  ensuring  a  vitality  equal  to  the 
imperial  expansion  of  the  missionary  programme. 
The  only  hope  of  this  is  for  Christians  to  avail  them- 
selves of  the  more  abundant  life  through  Christ  be- 
stowed in  the  pathway  of  obedience  to  Him. 

If  God  is  to  manifest  mightily  His  power  in  the  Essential  to 
home  Church  so  that  it  may  be  able  to  grapple  success-   Christian 
fully  with  the  problems  at  its  own  doors,  it  is  essential   Co*"luest 
that  the  Church  give  itself  in  a  larger  way  to  the  carry- 
ing out  of  His  missionary  purposes.     Is  it  not  true 
that  when  this  main  purpose  is  forgotten  or  subordin- 


*36 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 


ated,  a  paralysis  comes  upon  the  Church,  incapacitating 
it  for  other  efforts?  World  evangelization  is  essential 
to  Christian  conquest  at  home.  The  only  faith  which 
will  conquer  Europe  and  America  is  the  faith  heroic 
and  vigorous  enough  to  subdue  the  peoples  of  the 
non-Christian  world. 

The  apologetic  value  and  influence  of  a  widespread, 
thorough,  and  triumphant  propagation  of  the  Gospel 
should  also  be  emphasized.  In  Christian  lands  many 
have  lost  faith  in  Christianity  as  a  power  to  uplift 
mankind.  If  the  foreign  missionary  propaganda  fur- 
nishes from  the  difficult  fields  of  the  non-Christian 
world  evidence  showing  the  ability  of  the  Christian 
religion  to  transform  men  individually,  to  elevate  com- 
munities socially,  and  to  win  whole  nations,  the  effect 
on  the  life  and  influence  of  the  home  Church  will  be 
very  great  indeed.  On  the  other  hand,  should  the 
missionary  enterprise  fail  to  meet  successfully  the 
present  world-need  and  opportunity,  the  faith  of  many 
in  the  mission  and  power  of  Christianity  may  be 
shaken  to  the  foundation. 

Christ  emphasized  that  the  mightiest  apologetic 
with  which  to  convince  the  non-Christian  world  of  His 
divine  character  and  claims  would  be  the  oneness  of 
His  disciples.  Experience  has  already  shown  that  by 
far  the  most  hopeful  way  of  hastening  the  realization 
of  true  and  triumphant  Christian  unity  is  through  the 
enterprise  of  carrying  the  Gospel  to  the  non-Christian 
world.  Who  can  measure  the  federative  and  unifying 
influence  of  foreign  missions  ?  No  problem  less  colos- 
sal and  less  bafflingly  difficult  will  so  reveal  to  the 


POSSIBILITIES  OF  THE  SITUATION  237 

Christians  of  to-day  the  sinfulness  of  their  divisions, 
and  so  convince  them  of  the  necessity  of  concerted  ef- 
fort, as  actually  to  draw  them  together  in  answer  to  the 
intercession  of  their  common  and  divine  Lord.  "  It  is 
a  gain  to  the  home  Church,  the  importance  of  which 
cannot  be  exaggerated,  that,  as  a  result  of  its  foreign 
mission  work,  there  should  be  coming  back  to  it  from 
lands  not  yet  Christian  powerful  influences  that  are 
helping  to  heal  its  divisions  and  restore  its  broken 
unity." 

A  programme  literally  world-wide  in  its   scope  is   The  Power 
indispensable    to    enrich    and    complete    the    Church.   t0  Complete 
Jesus  Christ  must  have  all  the  races  and  all  the  nations      e      urc 
through  which  to  make  known  fully  His  excellences 
and  to  communicate  adequately  His  power.    Informed, 
transformed,  enlightened,  enlivened  by  the  reception 
of  Christ  and  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  Asia, 
Africa,  and  Oceania  will  surely  exercise  a  profound 
influence  upon  the  Western  Church  and  help  greatly 
to  enlarge  and  enrich  its  conceptions  of  Christ  and  His 
Kingdom. 

The  missionary  possibilities  of  the  Christian  Church  The  Only 
to-day  are  boundless.  What  limits  their  realization?  Limitation 
There  is  in  the  Christ-given  missionary  purpose  of  the 
Church  nothing  which  limits  these  possibilities,  for  that 
purpose  is  broad  enough,  in  its  scope,  to  embrace  the 
entire  non-Christian  world  and  to  meet  the  whole  range 
of  needs  of  each  human  heart  and  of  the  human  race. 
The  needs  of  the  non-Christian  nations  and  races  pre- 
sent no  such  limitation;  their  need  is  great  enough 
extensively  and  intensively  to  require  all  that  Christian 


238  DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  MISSIONS 

lands  can  give  them,  and  the  opportunities  they  present 
are  sufficiently  wide  and  inspiring  to  call  forth  the 
self-denying  devotion  of  all  of  Christ's  true  followers. 
Nor  do  the  times  in  which  we  live  suggest  a  limit  to 
the  missionary  possibilities  of  the  Church.  In  no  pre- 
ceding generation  or  decade  has  the  Church  been  con- 
fronted throughout  the  non-Christian  world  with  such 
a  coincidence  or  synchronizing  of  crises,  providences, 
and  favoring  conditions.  And  there  is  no  limit  in  God 
as  to  what  He  might  accomplish,  through  His  children, 
for  the  extension  of  His  Kingdom  on  earth.  The  only 
place  where  such  limitations  exist  is  in  the  lives  of 
Christians.  They,  by  their  lack  of  vision,  by  their  lack 
of  whole-hearted  consecration,  by  their  lack  of  efficient 
resolution,  by  their  lack  of  heroic  self-sacrifice,  and 
by  their  lack  of  triumphant  faith,  prevent  the  complete 
realization  of  God's  sublime  purposes  for  the  world. 
Of  how  many  are  the  words  spoken  in  olden  times  still 
true,  "  They  limited  the  Holy  One."  The  present  is 
the  time  of  all  times  when  Christians  everywhere 
should  rise  above  all  that  would  hinder  the  mighty 
manifestation  of  Christ  in  the  missionary  work  of  the 
Church. 

It  is  a  decisive  hour  for  the  non-Christian  nations. 
Far-reaching  movements — national,  racial,  social,  eco- 
nomic, religious — are  shaking  them  to  their  founda- 
tions. These  nations  are  still  plastic.  Shall  they  set 
in  Christian  or  pagan  molds?  Their  ancient  faiths, 
ethical  restraints,  and  social  orders  are  being  weak- 
ened or  abandoned.  Shall  our  sufficient  faith  fill  the 
void? 


POSSIBILITIES  OF  THE   SITUATION  239 

It  is  a  decisive  hour  for  the  Christian  Church.  If  Test  of  the 
it  neglects  to  meet  successfully  the  present  world  crisis  Church 
by  failing  to  discharge  its  responsibility  to  the  whole 
world,  it  will  lose  its  power  both  on  the  home  and  on 
the  foreign  fields  and  will  be  seriously  hindered  in  its 
mission  to  the  coming  generation.  Nothing  less  than 
the  adequacy  of  Christianity  as  a  world  religion  is  on 
trial. 

It  is  indeed  the  decisive  hour  of  Christian  missions.  The  Supreme 
It  is  the  time  of  all  times  for  Christians  of  every  name  Resolve 
to  unite  and  with  quickened  loyalty  and  with  reliance 
upon  the  living  God,  to  undertake  to  make  Christ 
known  to  all  men,  and  to  bring  His  power  to  bear  upon 
all  nations.  It  is  high  time  to  face  this  duty  and  with 
serious  purpose  to  discharge  it.  Let  leaders  and  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  reflect  on  the  awful  seriousness  of 
the  fact  that  times  and  opportunities  pass.  The 
Church  must  use  them  or  lose  them.  The  sense  of 
immediacy  and  the  spirit  of  reality  are  the  need  of  the 
hour.  Doors  open  and  doors  shut  again.  Time 
presses.  "  The  living,  the  living  he  shall  praise  Thee." 
Let  each  Christian  so  resolve  and  so  act  that  if  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  others  will  do  likewise,  all  men  before 
this  generation  passes  away  may  have  an  adequate 
opportunity  to  know  of  Christ. 


QUESTIONS 


QUESTIONS 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  USING  THE  QUESTIONS 

Most  of  these  questions  are  thought  questions.  That  is,  they  re- 
quire for  their  answers  some  original  thinking.  This  form  of  question 
has  been  chosen  for  insertion  in  the  text-book  (i)  because  questions 
which  constitute  a  mere  memory  test  of  the  facts  of  the  text  can  easily 
be  constructed  by  any  leader  or  member  who  makes  an  outline  of  the 
principal  facts,  and  (2)  because  mere  memory  questions,  although  they 
have  their  uses,  yield  far  less  than  thought  questions  either  in  mental 
development  or  in  permanent  impression.  In  some  cases  complete 
answers  will  be  found  in  the  text-book;  usually  statements  that  will 
serve  as  a  basis  for  inference;  but  a  few  questions  appeal  solely  to  the 
general  knowledge  and  common  sense  of  the  student.  The  greatest 
sources  of  inspiration  and  growth  will  be,  not  what  the  text-book  adds 
to  the  student,  but  what  the  student  adds  to  the  text-book;  the 
former  is  only  a  means  to  the  latter. 

In  using  these  questions  for  private  study,  let  the  student  gather 
all  that  can  be  found  in  the  text-book  on  the  subject,  and  then  do  some 
original  thinking.  Let  him  not  be  discouraged  if  unable  to  reach  sat- 
isfactory conclusions.  Discussion  in  the  session  may  bring  further 
light. 

The  list  may  offer  suggestions  to  the  leader  for  problems  and  sub- 
questions  to  be  used  in  the  session.  The  length  of  the  session,  the 
maturity  of  the  class,  and  the  taste  of  the  leader  will  all  influence 
the  selection  that  will  be  made.  In  many  cases  the  greatest  value  of 
these  questions  will  be  to  suggest  others  that  will  be  better.  Those 
marked  *  may  be  used  for  discussion. 

CHAPTER  I 
Aim:    To  Realize  how   Unparalleled  in  the  History  of  the 

World  is  the  Present  Situation  in  the  East 
1.     Compare  the  population  of  Asia  and  Africa  with  that  of  Europe 
and  America. 

243 


244 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS 


2.  Compare  the  population  of  China  with  that  of  the  United  States. 

3.  Compare  the  population  of  Japan  with  that  of  Great  Britain. 

4.  Compare  the  population  of  India  with  that  of  Great  Britain. 

5.  Compare  the  population  of  Africa  with  that  of  Germany. 

6.  Compare  the  number  of  Moslems  with  that  of  Protestant  Chris- 
tians. 

7.  How  does  the  present  awakening  in  Asia  and  Africa  compare  in 
bulk  of  population  affected  with  past  great  awakenings  in  his- 
tory? 

8.  Think  of  all  the  reasons  you  can  why  this  awakening  has  been  so 

long  delayed,  and  arrange  them  in  what  you  consider  the  order 
of  their  importance. 

9.  How  many  of  these  reasons  have  recently  been  removed  in  whole 
or  in  part? 

10.*  Of  all  the  recent  causes  making  for  change  in  China,  select  the 
five  that  seem  to  you  most  important. 

11.*  How  has  it  been  possible  for  China  to  know  about  railroads  and 
telegraphs  so  long  and  yet  not  to  have  adopted  them  until  re- 
cently? 

12.*  At  which  stage  of  the  awakening  in  China  do  you  think  changes 
will  be  most  rapid?     Give  reasons  for  your  view. 

13.  How  long  ago  was  it  that  Europe  was  most  like  China  of  fifty 
years  ago  in  material  equipment  and  civilization. 

14.  How  long  did  it  take  the  West  to  accumulate  what  is  being  offered 

to  China  in  a  decade? 
15.*  What  are  the  advantages  of  a  slower  assimilation  of  material 

civilization  over  that  which  is  more  rapid? 
16.*  What  are  the  dangers  of  a  period  of  very  rapid  growth  in  wealth 

and  material  resources? 
17.    What  would  be  the  dangers  for  the  West  of  as  rapid  a  material 

growth  as  China  is  called  upon  to  experience  during  the  present 

decade? 
18.*  What  is  there  in  the  past  civilization  of  China  that  makes  this 

change  more  serious  than  it  would  be  in  the  West? 
19.    How  does  the  present  awakening  in  the  East  compare  in  the 

amount  of  new  ideas  to  be  assimilated  with  any  awakening  that 

has  gone  before? 


QUESTIONS  245 

20.    From  the  instance  of  Japan,  what  would  you  infer  as  to  the 

future  possibilities  of  China? 
21.*  Why  has  the  result  of  the  Russo-Japanese  war  so  powerfully 

affected  the  imagination  of  the  East? 

22.  Sum  up  the  recent  changes  in  Turkey,  and  try  to  estimate  their 
practical  importance  for  any  nation. 

23.  Try  to  imagine  our  country  without  the  improvements  that  have 
been  received  by  Central  Africa  within  a  generation,  and  esti- 
mate our  probable  condition. 

24.*  What  is  the  good  and  the  evil  of  a  strong  national  spirit? 

25.*  What  would  you  say  to  a  nationalist  in  China  who  asked  for  your 
frank  advice?     To  one  in  India?     To  one  in  Turkey? 

26.*  In  view  of  the  bulk  of  the  population  affected  and  the  greatness 
of  the  changes,  try  to  estimate  the  difference  between  the  situa- 
tion in  the  East  that  faced  the  Church  of  the  past  generation  and 
that  which  faces  the  Church  of  to-day. 

27.  What  do  you  consider  to  be  the  consequent  duty  of  a  professing 
Christian  as  to  study  of  the  present  situation  in  the  East?  as  to 
prayer?  as  to  giving?  as  to  personal  service? 


CHAPTER  II 

Aim:  To  Realize  the  Need  for  Haste,  in  View  of  Increasing 

Difficulties 
1.*  Why  are  Westerners  in  the  East  apt  to  lower  their  standards  of 
ethics? 

2.  Why  are  they  apt  to  show  their  worst  side  to  the  Oriental? 

3.  What  is  their  attitude  toward  the  higher  welfare  of  the  Oriental? 

4.  Why  are  the  Orientals  apt  to  conclude  that  every  Westerner  is 
a  Christian? 

5.  In  order  to  be  a  successful  missionary,  what  sort  of  spirit  and 
training  is  necessary? 

6.  What  would  be  the  probable  influence  of  a  person  who  has 
neither  this  spirit  nor  training? 

7.*  Why  is  the  imitation  of  Western  manners  dangerous  for  those 
who  know  no  religion  but  custom  observance? 


246      DECISIVE  HOUR   OF  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS 

8.  How  do  you  explain  the  fact  that  an  increase  in  prosperity  and  cul- 
ture is  not  always  accompanied  by  an  increase  in  righteousness. 

9.  Why  is  intoxicating  liquor  especially  deadly  among  people  of 
primitive  religion? 

10.*  In  what  ways  do  you  think  a  visit  to  the  West  would  prejudice 
an  Oriental  against  Christianity? 

11.  In  what  ways  can  we  without  Pharisaism  make  our  Christianity 
more  evident  to  visitors  in  Christendom? 

12.  Under  what  circumstances  may  commercial  pursuits  become  an 

uplifting  influence  in  a  man's  life? 

13.  To  what  extent  are  these  circumstances  present  in  the  business 
intercourse  of  the  East  and  West? 

14.  What  is  the  difference  between  the  Christian  and  the  purely  sci- 
entific ideal? 

15.*  Why  is  it  especially  desirable  that  the  East  should  obtain  the 
former  as  well  as  the  latter  just  at  this  time? 

16.  What  agencies  are  most  efficient  in  the  West  in  helping  to  form 
ideals  among  our  young  people? 

1 7.  Which  of  these  agencies  has  the  most  thoroughly  developed  ma- 
chinery at  its  command? 

18.  How  many  of  these  agencies  are  operative  in  the  East  to  form 
high  ideals? 

19.*  Sum  up  the  importance  of  charging  secular  education  in  the 
East  with  the  highest  ideals  and  motives. 

20.  What  can  you  find  of  good  in  the  revivals  of  non-Christian  relig- 
ions? 

21.  Describe  as  fully  as  you  can  the  motive  that  you  consider  lies 
back  of  these  revivals. 

22.  What  various  evils  may  be  connected  with  these  revivals? 
23.*  If  you  were  the  pope  of  a  united  Christendom,  what  orders  would 

you  give  to  the  Church  in  view  of  the  present  crisis  in  the  non- 
Christian  world? 

24.*  By  what  arguments  would  you  seek  to  arouse  the  Church? 

25.*  How  would  you  emphasize  the  need  for  immediate  action? 

26.*  How  does  the  material  equipment  of  Christianity  compare  at 
present  with  that  of  the  non-Christian  world? 

27.     What  conclusion  would  you  draw  from  this  as  to  present  policy? 


QUESTIONS  247 

CHAPTER  III 

Aim:  To  Realize  the  Challenge  of  Present  Possibilities  to 
Immediate  Action 

1.  Sum  up  the  statements  of  the  last  two  chapters  that  indicate  the 
extreme  difficulty  of  the  Christianization  of  Japan. 

2.  What  proportion  does  the  Protestant  Christian  Church  consti- 
tute of  the  present  population  of  Japan? 

3.*  How  would  you  estimate  the  urgency  for  Christian  effort  if  a 
similar  condition  of  affairs  existed  in  this  country? 

4.  What  do  you  consider  the  principal  signs  of  hopefulness  in  Japan 
from  the  Christian  standpoint? 

5.  What  do  you  estimate  to  have  been  the  main  conditions  of  suc- 
cess in  the  past? 

6.  What  conclusion  would  you  draw  as  to  the  present  duty  of  the 
Christian  Church  towards  Japan? 

7.*  What  do  you  consider  the  principal  danger  of  the  present  situa- 
tion in  Korea? 

8*  What  advantages  would  there  be  in  the  practical  Christianiza- 
tion of  an  entire  nation  like  Korea? 

9.     Is  direction  more  important  before  or  after  a  revival? 

10.  What  are  the  dangers  in  not  following  up  a  revival? 

11.  What  do  you  consider  the  significance  of  the  recent  increase  in 
rate  of  growth  of  the  Christian  Church  in  China? 

12.*  Why  is  growth  usually  so  slow  in  the  first  years  of  missionary 

work  in  any  country? 
13.*  Sum  up  as  far  as  you  are  able  the  Christian  influences  now  being 

brought  to  bear  on  China  in  comparison  with  those  of  the  first 

thirty-five  years  of  missionary  work  there. 
14.     What  is  the  challenge  of  this  for  further  effort? 
15.*  Sum  up  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  mass  movements 

in  India. 
16.*  If  you  were  a  missionary  in  India,  what  rules  would  you  lay  down 

for  dealing  with  mass  movements? 
17.     In  what  ways  would  your  treatment  differ  from  that  given  to 

individuals  who  had  broken  social  ties  in  response  to  conviction? 


248      DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS 

18.  What  sort  of  workers  and  equipment  would  you  consider  neces- 
sary for  dealing  successfully  with  a  mass  movement? 

19.  What  would  be  your  attitude  toward  social  usages  that  seem  as- 
sociated with  idolatry? 

20.  How  would  you  put  the  argument  for  the  need  of  Christian  work 
among  college  men  in  America? 

21.*  In  what  ways  could  you  strengthen  this  argument  when  applied 
to  work  among  college  men  in  India? 

22.  Make  as  strong  an  argument  as  you  can  for  more  aggressive  work 
among  Moslems  at  once. 

23.  How  can  the  Christian  Church  turn  to  best  advantage  the  recent 
large  accessions  in  Uganda  and  other  parts  of  Africa? 

24.*  What  would  you  demand  from  the  Church  at  home  to  carry  out 

the  policy  you  advocate? 
25.*  In  view  of  the  statements  of  the  first  three  chapters  of  this  book, 

sum  up  the  five  principal  arguments  for  considering  the  present 

time  the  decisive  hour  of  Christian  Missions. 

CHAPTER  IV 

Aim:  To  Realize  the  Greatness  or  the  Task  Confronting  the 
Church 

1.  State  what  you  consider  the  obligation  of  the  Christian  Church 
toward  the  non-Christain  world. 

2.  Is  any  part  of  the  Christian  Church  free  from  this  obligation? 

3.  Are  there  any  valid  arguments  for  further  delay? 

4.  Does  the  fact  of  failure  to  discharge  the  obligation  in  the  past 
remove  or  increase  the  present  obligation? 

5.*  In  view  of  the  vastness,  difficulties,  and  opportunities,  how  does 
it  compare  with  other  great  tasks  in  its  demands  for  careful 
study  and  planning? 

6.  '  Name  what  you  consider  the  essential  elements  of  an  adequate 

plan. 

7.  Are  we  at  liberty  to  abandon  any  of  these  elements  as  practical 
ideals? 

8.*  Is  such  a  plan  practicable  in  view  of  the  resources  at  the  disposal 
of  the  Christian  Church? 


QUESTIONS  249 

9.    What  forces  at  the  disposal  of  the  Church  have  never  been 
greater? 

10.  Name  the  principal  elements  of  what  you  consider  thoroughness 
of  the  plan. 

1 1 .  Illustrate  this  from  some  particular  field  or  district  abroad. 
12.*  Arrange  the  guiding  principles  of  strategy  mentioned  in  the  text- 
book in  the  order  in  which  they  personally  appeal  to  you. 

13.  From  your  general  knowledge  and  the  statements  of  the  text- 
book, expand  the  argument  for  the  concentration  of  the  entire 
Church  on  China,  Africa,  India,  and  Islam. 

14.  Put  the  argument  for  some  one  of  the  other  fields  in  a  way  that 
would  interest  an  indifferent  person. 

15.  Give  illustrations  of  the  necessity  of  planning  for  different 
classes  of  the  population  at  home. 

16.*  If  you  had  $50,000  to  invest  in  work  for  some  definite  class  on 
the  foreign  field,  what  class  would  you  choose  and  how  would  you 
invest  your  money? 

17.  What  sort  of  policy  do  you  advocate  in  the  Christian  work  at 
home  with  which  you  are  most  familiar? 

18.  Try  to  estimate  to  what  extent  your  conclusions  would  justly 
apply  to  some  section  of  the  foreign  field. 

19.*  What  plans  would  you  suggest  by  which  any  one  Board  or  Soci- 
ety might  secure  the  most  efficient  adjustment  to  changing  con- 
ditions on  the  foreign  field? 

20.*  In  view  of  the  present  divisions  of  the  Christian  Church  what 
steps  do  you  think  should  be  taken  by  the  forces  on  the  field  to 
secure  readjustment  to  changing  conditions? 

21.  Apply  the  principles  which  you  have  thus  approved  to  the  work 
of  the  Church  in  this  country. 

22.*  Arrange  the  following  bodies  in  what  seems  to  you  to  be  the 
order  in  which  they  have  attained  the  ideal  of  Christian  unity 
and  co-operation, — the  native  Church,  the  missionaries  on  the 
field,  the  missionary  Boards  and  Societies,  and  the  Church  at 
home. 

23.*  What  seems  to  you  to  be  the  principal  difficulty  in  the  realiza- 
tion of  an  adequate  plan? 


250 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS 


CHAPTER  V 


Am:  To  Realize  the  Personal  Responsibility  of  the  Individ- 
ual Christian  and  of  the  Church  as  a  Whole 
[  i.    What  other  position  most  nearly  approaches  in  the  complexity  of 
its  demands  that  of  the  Secretaryship  of  a  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions? 

2.     Name  in  the  order  of  their  importance  the  qualifications  which 
you  think  a  Board  Secretary  should  possess. 

[  3.*  How  can  a  Missionary  Board  best  keep  in  touch  with  its  home 
constituency? 

4.     What  would  be  the  requirements,  financial  and  otherwise,  of  the 
plan  you  propose? 

5.*  In  order  to  realize  an  adequate  plan  for  the  evangelization  of  the 
world,  what  duties  must  be  assumed  by  the  local  pastor? 

'  6.*  Name  in  what  you  consider  the  order  of  their  effectiveness  the 
means  by  which  an  average  pastor  may  promote  missions. 
7.    When  pastors  are  interested  in  missions,  what  are  the  principal 
causes  that  hinder  results? 

J  8.    What  proportion  of  the  training  in  the  theological  seminaries 
should  be  given  to  the  subject  of  foreign  missions? 
9.     What  are  the  principal  qualifications  of  a  missionary  candidate? 

10.    Who  is  to  blame  that  more  men  of  the  right  qualifications  do  not 
offer  themselves? 

11.*  In  what  ways  should  our  present  methods  for  securing  candi- 
dates of  the  right  sort  be  supplemented? 

12.     At  what  age  should  the  idea  of  foreign  missionary  service  be  pre- 
sented to  the  average  person? 

13.*  How  much  do  you  think  the  Christian  Church  could  contribute 
to  foreign  missions  if  it  appreciated  their  real  importance? 

14.     How  do  you  think  uninterested  persons  with  large  means  should 
be  approached? 

15.*  What  constitute  the  most  hopeful  sources  for  increased  financial 
support  of  missions  at  present? 

16.*  How  can  these  best  be  developed? 

17.    Which  of  the  methods  of  securing  money  has  helped  you  to  give 
most  liberallv? 


QUESTIONS  251 

18.    Which  method  do  you  think  is  most  effective  with  the  average 

person? 
19.*  Which  classes  of  persons  is  it  most  important  to  enroll  in  mission 

study  classes? 

20.  What  is  the  relative  effectiveness  of  the  mission  study  class  as 
compared  with  other  methods  of  promoting  intelligence? 

21.  How  can  we  most  effectively  interest  the  persons  who  cannot  be 
enrolled  in  mission  study  classes? 

22.*  What  constitutes  effective  prayer  for  missions? 

23.*  How  can  we  best  promote  this  sort  of  prayer? 

24.*  What  things  in  Western  civilization  is  it  most  necessary  to  avoid 

taking  to  non-Christian  countries? 
25.     In  view  of  the  needs  of  the  non-Christian  world  what  reforms  in 

secular  Christendom  are  most  important? 
26*  What  are  the  most  important  services  in  this  line  that  can  be 

rendered  by  the  average  Christian? 

CHAPTER  VI 

Aim:  To  Realize  the  Importance  of  the  Native  Christian 
Church  as  an  Agency  in  the  Evangelization  of  the 
World 

1.  With  one  ordained  minister  to  every  594  of  the  population  in  the 
United  States,  do  you  think  we  have  too  many? 

2.  How  many  ministers  do  you  think  we  ought  to  have  for  each 
100,000  of  the  population? 

3.  Compare  this  with  the  number  of  ordained  missionaries  on  the 
foreign  field,  and  give  your  views. 

4.  Which  do  we  most  need  at  home,  more  ordained  ministers  or 
more  lay  Christian  workers?     Give  reasons  for  your  opinion. 

5.*  State  what  you  consider  the  five  principal  advantages  of  the  for- 
eign missionary,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  of  the  native  evangelist, 
as  workers  on  the  foreign  field. 

6.*  In  view  of  these  relative  advantages,  how  should  the  work  be 
divided  between  the  foreign  missionary  and  the  native  evange- 
list, at  the  early  stage,  the  middle  stage,  and  the  final  stages  of 
the  work? 


252 


DECISIVE  HOUR  OF  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS 


7.    How  should  the  training  of  a  foreign  missionary  be  different  from 

that  of  a  home  pastor? 
8.*  What  things  should  be  chiefly  aimed  at  in  the  training  of  a  native 

evangelist? 
9.    What  things  should  be  chiefly  avoided? 

10.  What  are  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  training  in  Eu- 
rope or  America  for  the  average  native  evangelist? 

11.  Name  the  influences  that  you  consider  are  most  influential  in 
leading  persons  to  become  Christians  in  this  country. 

12.  What  things  connected  with  Christianity  do  you  think  most 
repel  non-Christians  in  this  country? 

13.*  To  what  extent  do  you  think  your  answers  to  the  last  two  ques- 
tions would  apply  to  the  foreign  field? 

14.  How  would  you  advise  a  German  who  spoke  English  with  a 
strong  accent  to  go  about  evangelizing  a  mining  town  in  the  far 
West? 

15.  What  are  the  comparative  advantages  of  ordinary  Christian 
worship  and  special  conferences  for  Christian  workers? 

16.  Should  foreign  missionaries  have  most  training  in  preaching  or 
in  teaching? 

17.*  In  view  of  the  silent  personal  influence  of  native  Christians  upon 
non-Christians,  what  do  you  think  should  be  the  requirements 
for  baptism  on  the  foreign  field? 

18.  Is  it  right  to  permit  native  Christian  churches  that  are  so  young 
and  poor  to  undertake  missionary  work  at  a  distance?  Defend 
your  view. 

19.  To  what  extent  does  your  answer  apply  to  the  Church  at  home? 

20.  How  does  the  responsibility  for  personal  Christian  effort  com- 
pare as  to  Christians  on  the  foreign  field  and  to  those  at  home? 

at.  What  methods  should  be  most  effective  in  promoting  personal 
work  in  both  fields? 

22.  What  difficulties  in  securing  candidates  for  the  ministry  apply 
both  at  home  and  on  the  foreign  field? 

23.  What  difficulties  in  securing  lay  Christian  workers  apply  in  both 
fields? 

24.*  By  what  various  methods  do  you  think  these  difficulties  may  be 
best  overcome  at  home  and  abroad? 


QUESTIONS  253 

25.  Do  you  think  that  we  ought  to  make  the  same  evangelistic  re- 
quirements for  Church  membership  at  home  that  the  Honan 
missionaries  do  of  their  converts? 


CHAPTER  VII 

Aim:  To  Realize  the  Sufficiency  of  God  for  Those  who  Seek 
to  Do  His  Will 

1.  Give  any  instances  that  have  come  under  your  personal  knowl- 
edge of  the  ineffectiveness  of  wealth,  education,  or  ability,  with- 
out the  Spirit  of  God. 

2.  Give  any  instances  of  the  effectiveness  of  the  Spirit  of  God  with- 
out wealth,  education,  or  human  ability. 

3.  Give  instances  of  the  way  in  which  the  Spirit  of  God  has  used 
wealth,  education,  or  ability. 

4.  If  the  Spirit  of  God  can  work  independently  of  the  ordinary  mis- 
sionary agencies,  why  should  we  spend  so  much  time  and 
strength  upon  them? 

5.  What  is  the  challenge  to  the  Christian  Church  of  the  fact  that 
non-Christians  are  sometimes  found  prepared  for  the  message? 

6.  Why  does  God  not  always  prepare  non-Christians  for  the  Chris- 
tian message? 

7.  Would  you  recommend  no  method  but  that  of  prayer  for  the 
securing  of  missionaries  for  the  field? 

8.*  How  do  you  think  we  can  know  whether  or  not  the  Spirit  of  God 

is  sending  forth  a  worker  to  the  field? 
9.    Which  is  the  more  dangerous,  to  go  when  we  are  not  sent,  or  to 

stay  when  God  would  send  us? 
10.*  What  efforts  should  every  Christian  make  to  ascertain  whether 

or  not  God  would  send  him  or  her? 

1 1 .  What  effect  should  the  power  of  God  to  convict  of  sin  have  upon 
human  evangelistic  effort? 

12.  Why  is  the  manifestation  of  the  power  of  God  not  always  in 
direct  proportion  to  the  faith  and  consecration  of  the  worker? 

13.  Why  is  not  prayer  an  infallible  method,  as  magic  charms  are  sup- 
posed  to  be? 


254      DECISIVE  HOUR  OF   CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS 

14.     How  important  is  the  duty  of  the  home  Church  to  pray  for  the 

work  of  foreign  missions? 
15.*  State  somewhat  in  detail  how  you  think  this  duty  should  be 

discharged. 
16.*  State  what  you  consider  the  principal  characteristics  of  effective 

prayer. 

17.  What  accompaniments  of  prayer  are  necessary  in  order  that  it 
may  be  effective? 

18.  Does  this  responsibility  for  prayer  rest  only  upon  those  Chris- 
tians who  are  at  present  interested  in  foreign  missions? 

19.*  How  is  the  co-operation  of  the  entire  Church  to  be  secured  in 

the  work  of  intercession? 
20.    What  does  your  prayer  for  foreign  missions  cost  you? 

CHAPTER  VIII 

Aim:  To  Realize  the  Supreme  Importance  of  the  Work  of  For- 
eign Missions  for  the  World  and  for  the  Church 
at  Home 

1.  If  it  is  absolutely  certain  that  God's  kingdom  will  prevail,  what 
reasons  are  there  for  human  effort? 

2.  Name  instances  of  loss  to  the  Christian  Church  in  the  past  from 
failure  to  make  the  most  of  possibilities. 

3.  Name  present  evils  that  are  the  result  of  Christian  neglect  in  the 
past. 

4.  What  difference  results  for  non-Christian  generations  who  live 
while  the  Church  neglects  its  duty? 

5.  What  difference  do  you  think  results  for  a  Christian  Church  that 
permits  generations  to  live  and  die  without  a  knowledge  of 
Christ? 

6.  Name  a  number  of  ways  in  which  the  responsibility  of  a  Church 
is  to-day  greater  than  that  of  any  past  generation. 

7.  Sum  up  the  ways  in  which  the  opportunity  is  greater  in  China 
than  ever  before. 

8.  In  what  ways  is  the  opportunity  greater  in  India  than  ever  be- 
fore? 

9.  In  what  ways  is  it  greater  in  Africa? 


QUESTIONS  255 

10.     In  what  ways  is  it  greater  in  the  Mohammedan  world? 
11.*  What  responsibility  do  the  lives  of  such  men  as  Livingstone  and 
Robert  Morrison  lay  upon  the  Church? 

12.  Does  God  call  for  different  degrees  of  consecration  from  His  ser- 
vants? 

13.  What  do  you  think  will  be  the  judgment  on  those  who  neglect  to 
reap  where  others  have  sowed  and  prayed  and  sacrificed? 

14.  Which  will  be  most  to  blame,  the  Church  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury for  not  sowing  in  the  non-Christian  world,  or  the  Church  of 
the  twentieth  century  for  not  reaping? 

15.  What  do  you  consider  the  principal  danger  for  the  Christian  life 
in  America  to-day? 

16.  What  are  the  dangers  for  young  people  as  compared  to  those  of  a 
generation  ago? 

17.  In  what  ways  can  wealth  become  a  help  to  growth  in  character 
instead  of  a  hindrance? 

18.  What  is  the  effect  on  those  who  try  to  appropriate  the  privileges 
of  Christianity  without  its  responsibilities? 

19.  How  can  the  work  of  home  missions  best  help  that  of  foreign 
missions? 

20.  How  can  the  work  of  foreign  missions  best  help  that  of  home 
missions? 

21.  Give  examples  of  the  way  in  which  a  great  common  task  pro- 
motes unity  among  workers. 

22.*  Sum  up  the  principal  reasons  why  this  is  the  decisive  hour  of 
Christian  missions  for  the  non-Christian  world. 

23.*  Sum  up  the  principal  reasons  why  this  is  the  decisive  hour  of 
Christian  missions  for  the  Church  at  home. 

24.*  Sum  up  what  you  consider  the  most  effective  ways  of  leading 
the  Church  to  meet  the  present  crisis. 


INDEX 


INDEX 

PAGE 

Accessibility  of  the  non-Christian  world 222 

Adam,  J.  R.,  on  the  Miao  revival 80 

Adams,  Rev.  J.  E.,  quoted 205 

Africa — 

Central,  changes  in 23-25 

.  Mohammedanism  in 60, 61 

Nationalism  in 30,31 

South,  progress  in -     .       22 

Allegret,  Rev.  E.,  quoted 195 

Anderson,  Rev.  Herbert,  on  the  revival  of  the  Indian  religions    .       56 
Apologetic  value  of  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel        .       .       .     236 

Beck,  Rev.  W.  M.,  quoted 200 

Belgian  influence  in  the  Congo  Basin 42,43 

Bible— 

In  China 81 

In  Korea 76 

Still  to  be  translated  into  many  languages      ....       99 

Bodding,  Rev.  O.,  quoted 202 

Bondfield,  Rev.  G.  H.,  quoted 53 

Brewster,  Dr.  William,  on  revival  in  Hinghua       ....       79 

Brockman,  F.  S.,  on  prayer 151,152 

Buddhism — 

Less  influential  in  Japan 74,  75 

Revival  of 50-52 

Candidates  needed  in  larger  numbers 131 

Causes  of  changes  in  non-Christian  nations    ....         31-33 
Cecil,  Lord  William,  on  decrease  in  poppy  cultivation  .       .       12 

Central  Africa — 

Changes  in 23-25 

Education  in 24 

259 


260  INDEX 

PAGE 

Ceylon,  revival  of  Buddhism  in 51 

Chalmers,  James,  resolves  to  become  a  missionary       .       .       .     138 

Changes,  economic,  political,  social — 

In  Central  Africa 23-25 

In  China 7-15 

In  Egypt 22,23 

In  India 17-19 

In  Japan 4-6 

In  Korea 6,  7 

In  Persia 16 

InSiam 15,16 

In  Turkey 19-22 

Attitude  of  Church  toward 62-66 

Causes  of 31-33 

Resultsof 33,34 

Chatterjee,  Dr.  K.  C,  quoted 172 

China — 

Changes  in 7-15 

Evangelization  of 78-84 

Favorable  to  missionaries 223,224 

Indirect  influences  of  Christianity  in  .  .  .  .  83,84 
Dr.  Milne  on  progress  of  Christianity  in  ....  78 
Bishop  Moule  on  progress  of  Christianity  in  .       .       .         78,  79 

Nationalism  in 26,27 

Neglected  classes  in 105 

Revival  of  Confucianism  in 52,53 

Secular  education  in 47 

Christie,  Dr.,  quoted 170,171 

Church  Missio nary  Review,  writer  in,  on  secular  education  .       .       48 

Church- 
Attitude  toward  changes  in  non-Christian  world  .       .         62-66 
At  home,  spirit  of,  reflected  on  the  mission  field, 

127,144-152,154-162 
At  home  must  increase  missionary  gifts          .       .       .     139-146 
At  home  should  be  an  adequate  base  for  the  missionary  en- 
terprise             127-162 

Requires  an  adequate  plan 99-124 


INDEX  261 

Church—  pAGE 

On  the  mission  field,  need  of  an  efficient         .       .       .     165-190 

Resources  of  home 113 

Should  improve  present  opportunity    .       .       .        .94, 95, 99 

Commission  I  on  the  principles  that  should  govern  the  advance 

of  the  Church  in  non-Christian  world      .        .        .     110-114 

Commission  of  the  Edinburgh  Conference  on  Co-operation  and 

the  Promotion  of  Unity,  quoted       ....     122-124 

Commission  of  the  Edinburgh  Conference  on  the  Home  Base 

of  Missions,  on  prayer 153 

Conditions  in  the  non-Christian  nations  inviting  a  comprehen- 
sive advance       69-93 

Conferences  of  Christians  on  the  mission  field       .       .       .       .181 

Confucianism,  revival  of 52,  53 

Congo  Basin,  conditions  in 42, 43 

Duff,  Alexander,  quoted 165 

East  Indies,  Mohammedanism  in 59 

Education — 

Duty  of  the  Church  toward 63-65 

In  Central  Africa 24,  25 

In  China 13-15 

In  Turkey 21 

Missionary 146-151 

Secular,  in  China 47 

Secular,  in  India 48, 49 

Secular,  in  Japan  .  ■ 46 

Secular,  in  Korea 47 

Egypt,  changes  in 22,  23 

Ethiopian  Movement 30 

Evangelization — 

Methods  on  the  mission  field 160-181 

Of  China 78-84 

Of  Korea 76-78 

Requires  an  adequate  plan 100-108 

Requires  strategy 108-121 


262  INDEX 

PAGE 

E wing.  Dr.  J.  C.  R.,  quoted 58 

Fassmann,  Rev.  R.,  quoted 204 

Ferguson,  Rev.  W.  L.,  quoted 204 

Findlay,Rev.  W.  H.,  quoted 230 

Forces,  distribution  of  missionary 118-121 

Ford,  Dr.,  quoted 198 

Fukuzawa,  Mr. ,  on  Christianity 75 

Fulton,  Dr.,  quoted 230 

Gericke,  Director  P.  A.,  quoted 203 

Gifts  to  foreign  missions 139, 144, 145 

Goforth,  Rev.  J  — 

Conducts  missions  in  six  provinces 79 

Quoted 206, 214 

Goodrich,  Dr.,  on  native  agencies 183 

Hankow 9 

Bishop  of 211 

Hart,  Sir  Robert,  on  changes  in  China 8 

Hindrances  to  evangelization 183-185 

Hinduism,  revival  of ,  in  India 53~57 

Holland,  Rev.  W.E.S.,  on  the  AryaSomaj 56 

Holy  Spirit  a  necessity  in  carrying  forward  the  missionary  enter- 
prise          i93_2I7 

Home  Church,  see  Church 

India — 

Changes  in 17-19 

Mohammedanism  in 57>S8 

Nationalism  in 28,  29 

Receptive  to  the  Gospel 224,225 

Revivals  in 85-91 

Revival  of  Hinduism  in 53~57 

Secular  education  in 48,49 

Influence  of  materialism  in  the  non-Christian  world     .       .  45-47 

Influences,  corrupting,  of  Western  civilization       .       .       .  39~44 

Information  about  missions,  methods  of  circulating     .       .  146-151 


INDEX  263 

PAGE 

Japan — 

Changes  in 4"~° 

Christian  community  in 70 

Favorable  to  missionaries 222 

Neglected  classes  in 105 

Revival  of  Buddhism  in 50-52 

Secular  education  in 46 

John,  Dr.  Griffith— 

On  changes  in  China 8 

On  the  circulation  of  the  Bible 81 

Johnson,  Bishop,  quoted 42 

Jones,  Dr.  George  Heber,  on  the  zeal  of  Koreans  ....  77 

Jones,  Dr.  J.  P.,  quoted 116 

Kabul,  modern  improvements  in 17 

Kennedy's,  John  S.,  bequest  to  foreign  missions    ....  140 

Koran,  changed  attitude  toward  the 92 

Korea — 

Bible  in 76 

Changes  in 6,  7 

Evangelization  of 76-78 

Favorable  to  missionaries 223 

Secular  education  in 47 

Lahore,  Bishop  of ,  quoted 34>9T 

Laws  of  God  in  operation  throughout  the  non-Christian  world  231-233 

Laymen's  Missionary  Movement i43-I46 

Leadership  of  the  home  Church  necessary      ....     128-138 

Lefroy,  Bishop,  quoted 34J91 

Liquor  traffic  in  Southern  Nigeria 4i>42 

Literati  of  China 81 

Lo wry,  President,  on  changes  in  China 8 

Mackay  of  Uganda,  quoted 165 

Madras,  Bishop  of,  on  mass  movements         ....        89, 00 
Manchuria,  revivals  in 84 


264  INDEX 

Mass  movements —  page 

In  India 85-91 

Professor  Satthianadhan  on 89 

Bishop  Warne  on 88 

Mateer,  Dr.  and  Mrs.,  secure  many  leaders  for  the  Chinese 

Church 186 

Materialism  in  the  non-Christian  world         ....         45~49 
Methods — 

Of  circulating  information  about  missions      .       .       .     146-150 

Of  evangelism 169-178 

Of  increasing  native  agencies 185-190 

Of  raising  money  for  foreign  missions      ....     140-146 

Miao,  revival  among  the 80 

Milne,  Dr.,  on  progress  of  Christianity  in  China      ...       78 

Missionaries  still  indispensable 168,169 

Missionary  societies  of  native  Christians        ....     175-177 

Moffet,  Dr.  S.  A.,  quoted 170 

Mohammedanism,  aggressiveness  of 57~6i 

Mohammedans  in  India  more  open  to  the  Gospel         .       .       .     225 

Morrison,  Dr.  W.  M.,  quoted 207 

Moule,  Bishop,  on  progress  of  Christianity  in  China     ...       78 

Movements  recently  organized 228 

Mozoomdar,  quoted 159 

Nationalism — 

Growth  of 2S"3i»  35. 36 

In  Africa 30,31 

In  China 26,27 

In  India 28, 29 

Native  agencies,  methods  of  increasing 185-190 

Native  Christians  as  evangelists 166-181 

Neesima,  Joseph,  on  native  agencies 182 

Nevius,  Dr.,  quoted 166 

'Ngoni,  the  Wild,  converted 209,210 

Nigeria,  Southern,  liquor  traffic  in 41,42 

Non-Christian  world,  unoccupied  fields  in      ....     101-103 

Oldham,  Bishop,  quoted 169 


INDEX  265 

Oluwole.  Bishop,  quoted . 

Opium  crusade  in  China 11,1a 

Peking,  students  in 14 

Peking  University.  Volunteer  Band  in $3 

Perils  to  the  home  Church 23:   :   _ 

Periodicals,  increase  of.  in  China 10 

Persecution  of  Christians : ;  _; 

Persia,  changes  in 16 

Phillips.  Dr.  \\\.  on  Manchurian  revivals 84 

Policy  of  concentration  or  of  diffusion 119 

Possibility  of  carrying  the  Gospel  to  all  the  non-Christian  world 

221-:;.: 
Prayer— 

F.  S.  Brockman  on 15:   i-.- 
Dr.  Arthur  H.  Smith  on     151 

Prof  essor  Warneck  on 152 

And  the  missionary  enterprise         .        .     139. 151-154,  215-:  1 ' 

Needed  on  the  mission  field llg 

Principles  of  strategy  that  should  govern  plans  for  evangeliza- 
tion       109,110 

Qualifications  of  missionary  candidates 1 ;:-::> 

Qualifications  for  missionary  leadership         .       .       .        .     i:>   ::: 

Railway  expansion  in  China 9 

Railways  in  Central  Africa 

Rainy.  Dr..  quoted 16: 

Ramabai.  Pandita,  on  secular  education 41 

Raquette.  Rev.  G..  quoted 200 

Religions.  non-Christian,  revival  of 

Results  oi  changes  in  non-Christian  nations  _: 

Revivals — 

In  the  non-Christian  world 60-05 

In  Africa 

In  China - :    I  a 

In  India t$~9* 

In  Japan      ...  ft 


266  INDEX 

Revivals—  PAGE 

In  Manchuria 84 

Among  the  Miao  in  Southwest  China 80 

Ross,  Dr.  John,  quoted 170 

Satthianadhan,  Professor,  on  mass  movements     ....       89 

Shanghai,  as  a  port 9 

Sialkot  Convention 181 

Siam,  changes  in 15 

Smith,  Dr.  Arthur  H.,  on  prayer 151 

South  Africa,  progress  in 22 

Spectator,  The,  quoted 32 

Spencer,  Herbert,  quoted 48 

Strategic  classes 114-116 

Strategic  places 116-118 

Strategic  races 108 

Strategy  required  in  evangelization 108-121 

Student  Christian  Movement — 

Awakens  missionary  interest  among  non-missionary  voca- 
tions     136, 137 

Conducts  special  mission  in  Japan 73,74 

In  China 81-83 

Recruiting  Christian  workers 187, 188 

Student  Volunteer  Movement 135-138 

Students — 

As  missionary  candidates 134-136 

Chinese,  abroad 13 

In  India,  progress  of  Christianity  among        .       .       .         9°»9i 

In  Peking 14 

Sunday  schools  awaken  missionary  interest 138 

Swadeshi  Movement 28 

Swatow,  Student  Christian  Association  in 82 

Taylor,  Rev.  A.,  on  entering  difficult  fields 106 

Taylor,  Rev.  J.  Hudson,  describes  plan  for  distributing  forces  117, 118 

Telugu  country,  revivals  in 85-88 

Tokyo,  Chinese  students  in 13 


INDEX  267 

PAGE 

Toronto,  gifts  to  missions  in 145 

Tucker,  Bishop — 

On  changes  in  Uganda 24 

On  revivals  in  Uganda 93 

Quoted 170 

Turkey — 

Changes  in 19-22 

Mohammedanism  in 57 

Uganda,  revivals  in 93 

Unity  an  urgent  necessity 121-124 

Unoccupied  fields  in  the  non-Christian  world        .       .       .     101-103 
Urgency  in  the  prosecution  of  missionary  work,  Commission  I 

on 110-114 

VanHasselt,  Rev.  F.J.  F.,  quoted 202 

Walker,  Dr.  J.  E.,  quoted 201 

Wang  of  Manchuria 201 

Warne  Bishop — 

On  mass  movements 88 

Quoted 199,211,212 

Warneck,  Professor,  on  prayer 152 

Women — 

Education  of ,  in  China 15 

Education  of ,  in  India 18,19 

In  Turkey 21 

Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  see  also  Student  Christian 

Movement 71 

In  connection  with  work  among  Japanese  soldiers        .         72,73 
Young  people  and  the  missionary  movement         .        .       .     130-138 

Young  People's  Missionary  Movement 130,137 

Yun,  Hon.  T.  H.,  quoted 78 


COMMERCIAL    EXPANSION    OF    THE    NON-CHRISTIAN    WORLD 

SHOWING     RAILWAYS     EXISTING     AND     PROJECTED 


Forward  Mission  Study  Courses 


Anywhere,  provided  it  be  forward." — David  Livingstone. 


Prepared  under  the  direction  of  the 
YOUNG  PEOPLES  MISSIONARY  MOVEMENT 

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Editorial  Cojimittee:  T.  H.  P.  Sailer,  Chairman;  A.  E.  Arm- 
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The  forward  mission  study  courses  are  an  outgrowth  of  a  con- 
ference of  leaders  in  young  people's  mission  work,  held  in  New  York 
City,  December,  1901.  To  meet  the  need  that  was  manifested  at 
that  conference  for  mission  study  text-books  suitable  for  young 
people,  two  of  the  delegates,  Professor  Amos  R.  Wells,  of  the  United 
Society  of  Christian  Endeavor,  and  Mr.  S.  Earl  Taylor,  Chairman 
of  the  General  Missionary  Committee  of  the  Epworth  League,  pro- 
jected the  Forward  Mission  Study  Courses.  These  courses  have 
been  officially  adopted  by  the  Young  People's  Missionary  Move- 
ment, and  are  now  under  the  immediate  direction  of  the  Editorial 
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now  being  used  by  more  than  forty  home  and  foreign  mission  boards 
and  societies  of  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

The  aim  is  to  publish  a  series  of  text-books  covering  the  various 
home  and  foreign  mission  fields  and  written  by  leading  authorities. 

269 


The  entire  series  when  completed  will  comprise  perhaps  as  many  as 
forty  text-books. 

The  following  text-books  having  a  sale  of  750,000  have  been 
published : 

1.  The  Price  of  Africa.     (Biographical.)     By  S.  Earl  Taylor. 

2.  Into  All  the  World.  A  general  survey  of  missions.  By 
Amos  R.  Wells. 

3.  Princely  Men  in  the  Heavenly  Kingdom.  (Biographical.) 
By  Harlan  P.  Beach. 

4.  Sunrise  in  the  Sunrise  Kingdom.  A  study  of  Japan.  By 
John  H.  DeForest. 

5.  Heroes  of  the  Cross  in  America.  Home  Missions.  (Bio- 
graphical.)    By  Don  O.  Shelton. 

6.  Daybreak  in  the  Dark  Continent.  A  study  of  Africa.  By 
Wilson  S.  Naylor. 

7.  The  Christian  Conquest  of  India.  A  study  of  India.  By 
James  M.  Thoburn. 

8.  Aliens  or  Americans?  A  study  of  Immigration.  By  Howard 
B.  Grose. 

9.  The  Uplift  of  China.  A  study  of  China.  By  Arthur  H. 
Smith. 

10.  The  Challenge  of  the  City.  A  study  of  the  City.  By 
Josiah  Strong. 

n.  The  Why  and  How  of  Foreign  Missions.  A  study  of  the 
relation  of  the  home  Church  to  the  foreign  missionary  enterprise. 
By  Arthur  J.  Brown. 

12.  The  Moslem  World.  A  study  of  the  Mohammedan  World. 
By  Samuel  M.  Zwemer. 

13.  The  Frontier.     A  study  of  the  New  West.     By  Ward  Piatt. 

14.  South  America  :  Its  Missionary  Problems.  A  study  of  South 
America.     By  Thomas  B.  Neely. 

15.  The  Upward  Path :  The  Evolution  of  a  Race.  A  study  of  the 
Negro.     By  Mary  Helm. 

16.  Korea  in  Transition.  A  study  of  Korea.  By  James  S. 
Gale. 

17.  Advance  in  the  Antilles.  A  study  of  Cuba  and  Porto 
Rico.     By  Howard  B.  Grose. 

270 


1 8.  The  Decisive  Hour  of  Christian  Missions.  A  study  of 
the  missionary  situation  throughout  the  world.     By  John  R.  Mott. 

In  addition  to  these  courses  the  following  have  been  published 
especially  for  use  among  younger  persons: 

i.  Uganda's  White  Man  of  Work.  The  story  of  Alexander 
Mackay  of  Africa.     By  Sophia  Lyon  Fahs. 

2.  Servants  of  the  King.  A  series  of  eleven  sketches  of  famous 
home  and  foreign  missionaries.     By  Robert  E.  Speer. 

3.  Under  Marching  Orders.  The  story  of  Mary  Porter  Game- 
well  of  China.     By  Ethel  Daniels  Hubbard. 

These  books  are  published  by  mutual  arrangement  among  the 
home  and  foreign  mission  boards,  to  whom  all  orders  should  be 
addressed.  They  are  bound  uniformly  and  are  sold  at  50  cents,  in 
cloth,  and  35  cents,  in  paper;  postage,  8  cents  extra. 


271 


.f!&2£  Th«*>9'cal  Semmary-Sp«er  Library 

I   II    II     Ml 


1    1012  01092  2765 


Date  Due 


-N^ 


